Juusanbi
by Destiny's Hand
Summary: Tobi claims that Itachi "killed his lover," but who was she, what happened to her, and how much does Tobi really know? The tale starts when Itachi is still just a genin, and follows the young Uchiha as he grows and discovers his capacity to love.
1. I

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village. Who is that? Read and find out . . .

**Author's Note:** I know the whole Itachi love story is kinda cliche and over-done, but this little tale (though it's hardly little) has been growing in my mind for some time now, and I thought it might deserve to see some light. Not much is known about Itachi's childhood, so most of the facts here are kinda best-guess. I know there are probably some facts that will contradict with the anime/manga, but one can't be expected to know _every_ little detail, right? Anyway, here's _Juusanbi_. The title will be explained later . . . a lot later. I hope you enjoy!

**10/18/08: **I've added a bit more to the title here. It's not much, but enjoy!

**Part I: The Enigma**

I

The noon sun filtered green through a high canopy of leaves, casting formless shadows around the still form of a nine-year-old boy and flashing off of the protective headband he wore across his forehead. The boy's chest rose and fell in a slow, steady, and controlled motion; his arms hung limp at his sides. A gust of air swirled through the small break in the trees around him. Stirred by the sudden breeze, the boy's long black hair – tied back into a low ponytail – shifted to reveal the emblem of a fan etched into the back fabric of his shirt.

As the spiraled symbol of a leaf carved into the headband marked the boy as a Konoha ninja, the fan upon his back marked him as an Uchiha – a member of the most powerful clan in the Leaf Village.

Without warning or any indication of his intentions, the young shinobi leapt into the air, twisting as he did so and appearing to hang upside down in mid-air. Kunai knives seemed to appear in his hands. Time appeared to slow as his still-closed eyes finally opened to reveal irises the color of fresh blood. In half a heartbeat, he had absorbed every detail of his surroundings. As the other half throbbed in his chest, his hands flashed outward. The kunai flew, barely blurs in the dim light, and thudded into the targets scattered around the small clearing.

Continuing to twist, the boy landed lightly on the balls of his feet. The red of his eyes faded to black as he straightened up and allowed his bored gaze to flick around the wood. Though his face showed no real interest, his eyes sought out every bull's-eye. Each knife thrown had found its target – dead center – perfect.

Itachi Uchiha sighed and lifted his eyes up to gaze abstractly at the high branches above his head. Grim thoughts ran circles through his head. Everyone – especially his father – expected so much from him. The weight of his perfection hung heavily on his shoulders, hanging over him like some ominous storm cloud.

Dropping his head back down, Itachi took a step toward the nearest target. It could not be helped. He was what he was. He would simply have to make the best of it and discover _why_ he had been gifted so. Surely there was a purpose behind his perfection.

As the boy crouched to remove the kunai from where it was imbedded in the wood, the hair on the back of his neck prickled. Itachi froze in place, hand hovering over the ringed hilt of the knife; something was not right. His head cocked a fraction of an inch, mind seeking the source of the uneasy feeling prickling across his skin. The air was silent. Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly. Where had the birds gone? Why had they fallen still?

Itachi remained on the balls of his feet, poised to leap into action at the slightest indication of an attack. The blood-red Sharingan had returned to his eyes and now studied his immediate area with sharp focus. Not even the slightest twitch of a leaf was missed by the kekkei genkai dwelling in his sight. Still, nothing revealed itself. He was alone. His eyes narrowed further.

The young boy indifferently returned to his task, though he did not drop his guard the least bit. Perhaps he had imagined it; perhaps not. There was no need to take chances, regardless. Itachi remained alert as he moved from one target to the next. Still, nothing happened. His stomach gave a slight twist of unease as his mind shuffled through various possibilities.

Could it be his squad-mates? No, probably not. Their sensei had given them the day off after they had returned from their latest mission, and they knew he liked his privacy when training as he was. Even if they were looking for him, they would either be calling out for him or he would have heard them coming long ago. None of the genin from his graduating class could sneak up on him.

So what did that leave? Other ninja? Training or on a mission? He was a good ways out from the village, far from the conventional training grounds, so that would rule out any visitors being there to train. So, on a mission perhaps. Friend or foe? Ally or enemy? His mind spun through possibilities and courses of action to take should some come true as his hands worked smoothly on his task.

Finished with the final target, Itachi scowled slightly as he rose to his feet. Still, there was nothing. Was he imagining things? Was he seeing enemies where there were none? Itachi allowed the Sharingan to fade from his eyes, his thoughts returning to darkness. He had heard the adults talking several times when they thought he could not. They were proud of him – proud of his achievements – but they were concerned that his power would alienate him or even send him into madness from the stress of trying to meet impossibly high expectations.

His mother, Mikoto Uchiha, worried especially. Itachi had no real friends to speak of. He was popular, true, among his fellow genin; the girls in his graduating class – and those not for that matter – were all smitten. His power, though – his genius – always set him apart from the rest of the kids his age. No one could connect with him. No one could relate to him, though one of his fellow Uchiha, Shisui, tried.

Itachi Uchiha was alone in the world.

Standing once more in the center of the clearing, Itachi closed his eyes and pushed those dark thoughts from his mind. This was not the time to think like that; this was the time to focus. He began the calming process, regulating his breathing and shutting down any more stray thoughts that still fluttered stubbornly at the edge of his mind.

As he did so, a small sound touched his ear. Itachi stopped, holding his breath and focusing on that sound. There _was_ something there! He poured his energy into his senses, honing in on the source of the sound. What was it?

Itachi opened his eyes and drew in a slow breath. He turned his head to the right, peering into the shadowy forest. Crying. Somebody was crying. The sound was soft and faint, but still there. He snorted and shook his head, returning to his own exercise. It was not his problem. He did not need to worry about it. It was not his concern – not his business.

He could not focus. Though the wind had shifted and the soft crying had faded, its echo still lingered in his mind. It tugged at his conscience and kept him from focusing properly on his training exercise. Itachi heaved an exasperated sigh, reopening his eyes and glaring in the direction of the distracting sound.

"This is pointless," he mumbled to himself as he took the first step to investigate. Setting his face into a mask of bored indifference, Itachi moved smoothly and silently into the shadows of the trees.

Itachi trotted through the endless maze of brush and trees. Due to the thorough shade cast by overhead branches, only sparing bushes and ferns grew on the forest floor in the occasional broken patch of sunlight. The day before had brought with it rain, and thus transforming the layer of dead leaves on the ground into soft mush – which in turn muffled Itachi's light steps, making them essentially silent.

As his jet eyes scanned each shadow and low-lying branch for signs of life, Itachi focused on locating the sound once more. It seemed to have vanished, but his instincts told him that the source was not far off. A small voice in the back of his mind warned him of a trap – one set to lure compassionate shinobi to their deaths or capture. He faintly wondered which would be worse, but quickly shook the loose thought from his mind. No distractions.

A barely choked off sob from a copse ahead of Itachi caught his attention. He rapidly shifted his stance into a half-crouch, continuing to move forward in a smooth and almost cat-like gait. Flattening himself against the rough bark of an ancient tree, the young shinobi slid sideways to peek around the side.

A young girl, no older than he was, sat hunched in a small dip in the ground between a trio of great trees. Her legs were folded on either side of her, and she was rubbing her left ankle tenderly. Was it twisted? Broken? Itachi's eyes flicked to the other child's tear-streaked face in time to see her wince in pain, another sob escaping her lips.

Eyebrows furrowing, Itachi studied the young girl's feature in an attempt to discern her identity – or at least her village of origin. He did not recognize her from his own village and was certain that he would have if he had caught a glimpse of her before. Her long hair was an odd shade of blonde that seemed to shine pure gold in the ray of sun that touched her through the trees – though in the shade, the pale yellow was unremarkable.

As Itachi watched, the girl lifted her right hand to catch a stray lock of hair hanging over her left eye and brushed it up to the black clip over her right. When her fingers reached the clip, she seemed to lose her motivation for the act and lowered her hand back to her lap, allowing the hair to slip over her eye once more. She sniffled, a shudder running through her body. Fresh tears spilled from her eyes, spotting the azure fabric of her oriental-style dress.

Itachi stiffened as the girl's hand fluttered nervously through the air, almost appearing to make a series of half-formed hand signs, though each was not solid or steady – if that was even what they were. Her fingers flickered through the air for a few more moments before falling still again. The girl's chest shook with small, gasping sobs.

Straightening his back, Itachi pulled back behind the tree and fought off the urge to comfort the girl. He puzzled over the movements her hands had run through. Were they really half-made hand signs as they appeared to be – or were they merely nervous wringing? Was it a trap? Was she a shinobi? He peeked back around the tree. She had not moved from her spot on the moist ground, tears glistening on her cheeks.

Itachi forced himself to turn away and return to his target-filled clearing, knowing grudgingly that he would get no more training done with his mind still lingering back with the distraught stranger. Why did he even care? Stiffly, the young shinobi gathered the several wooden disks and stuffed them into his backpack. Without pausing, he all but sprinted from the ancient forest, moving rapidly through the trees until he finally reached the dirt road that lead to the village gates.

Pack slung over one shoulder, he allowed his pace to slow into a more relaxed gait, though his jaw was still stiff, teeth grinding together. Why was there a part of him that wanted to rush back to that girl's side? Why did he feel like there was a knife in his chest, twisting with each step that took him further away from her?

Itachi's feet ground to a stop in the dirt and rock, his thoughts mimicking the motion. He turned his head in the direction he had come, cocking it slightly as a new thought blossomed in his mind. Perhaps it was time for a new kind of training – well, not 'training' exactly – more like an experiment of sorts – exploration.

From the moment Itachi had laid eyes on the girl, she had intrigued him. There was no apparent reason for this curiosity, and the fact bothered him greatly. He had never felt something like this before, this strange tight feeling in his chest. He wanted to help her, and he wanted to know why.

Turning on his heel, the genin moved back toward the tree line. As he approached the shadows, a flash of white caught the corner of his eye. Glancing down, Itachi spotted a flower among the sparse grass, four wide petals spreading outward from an indigo core.

On a whim, Itachi stooped and snapped the delicate stem, cradling the blossom in the curve of his fingers. Then, continuing the smooth movement, he vanished into the forest.


	2. II

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village. Who is that? Read and find out . . .

**Author's Note: **Now, as far as "Mary Sue"s go, I think my Kimi might fall into that category. Still, I believe she can be saved from such a title. Anyway, for anyone keeping up with Fangrlz, this one won't be updated as often. I'm going to try to make this a once-every-other-week thing. I have some chapters written, and hopefully, by the time I catch up post-wise, I'll have written plenty more. I hope you enjoy this particular fic!

II

Retracing his steps, Itachi Uchiha easily found his way back to the small cluster of trees that housed the weeping girl. As he approached, silent as a ghost, he realized that he could not hear her. Had she moved? Had she gone? Itachi peered around the same tree behind which he had hidden before. No. She was still there. Her sobbing had simply subsided to silent tears.

The girl was rubbing her ankle again through the wide, black harem pants she wore. Though her tears still flowed freely, her noisier weeping had certainly calmed, her chest only jerking with the occasional gasp. Her pale face was almost serene in the shadows of the trees, though her brow still crumpled in pain.

After casting one last suspicious glance at the branches above the copse that might have harbored enemies – and finding none – Itachi stepped cautiously from hiding. The girl did not notice him as he moved quietly to stand in front of her. The young shinobi swallowed as he looked down at the top of her head, mouth suddenly dry. Why was his chest so tight? He could not be nervous; he could not be afraid. He had faced death before without fear and yet was balking at the thought of speaking to this stranger? Why? What was so special about this girl?

Gathering his wits and banishing the flicker of anger from his face, Itachi held out the flower blossom and opened his mouth to speak. "Don't cry," he said softly, almost startling himself with the gentleness in his voice.

His voice certainly startled the girl, for she jerked in surprise, head snapping up and right hand flying to her chest. Itachi froze as her eyes captured his, losing any plans he might have made for the encounter. For a moment, he felt as if he was falling into those deep indigo pools. Her irises were so layered with shades of the violet-blue color that it appeared that someone had cut out bits of a twilight-painted sky in order to place them in her eyes.

A wave of resentment trailed Itachi's initial confusion, but he managed to keep both emotions from his face. Instead, he swallowed again and shifted the hand holding the flower. He still could not break that gaze, though.

"Here," he managed, finding his voice. "It's for you."

The girl freed him from her hypnotic gaze, turning it to the blossom offered to her. With a shaking hand, she reached out and took it, holding it lightly as if it was made of glass. As the girl stared down at the flower's heart, Itachi mentally ran through courses of action, attempting to find the best one.

He could always demand what he wanted to know, but that would not be wise considering her unknown identity and purpose. Besides, she might not know. The girl shifted slightly, raising her head to look at Itachi with confusion and fear running circles within her eyes. _No_, Itachi decided. _I'll ride this out – see where it goes. I can analyze everything later._

"My name is Itachi," he said gently, seating himself carefully in front of the girl and smiling in what he hoped was a friendly manner. "I'm sorry if I startled you."

She hastily wiped her eyes with a weak laugh. "No. It – it's fine." Her voice was soft and meek, slightly hoarse from her previous crying. "I'm Kimi." She seemed about to say more but fell silent instead.

Itachi nodded to her. "It's nice to meet you Kimi." A smile twitched on the corner of the girl's mouth, and Itachi risked continuing – wondering all the while what it meant. "What are you doing out here all alone?"

A blush swept across Kimi's already-flushed cheeks and she stared down at the ground with an embarrassed wince. "I – I – uh."

She glanced up at Itachi through her still-wet eyelashes. He cocked his head to one side, prompting her to continue with a curious lift of his eyebrows.

"I got lost," Kimi admitted in a rush.

Itachi surprised himself again by laughing out loud, causing Kimi to hunch her shoulders and sink lower in embarrassment. "Don't worry," he assured her. "You're definitely not the first one."

Kimi slowly lifted her head. "You're not lost too, are you?" Itachi shook his head. "Then what are _you_ doing out here all alone?" Her eyes flicked rapidly around the small copse as if she expected more shinobi to emerge from the shadows.

Itachi touched his headband. "I'm training."

The girl's eyes widened. "You're a shinobi? But – you're so young!"

Itachi shrugged one shoulder and eyed the girl carefully. "You know of shinobi?" Again, the question returned. Was _she_ a shinobi herself?

Kimi absently rubbed her ankle. "Well, everyone's pretty much heard of shinobi. We had some in the village I came from, but no one's ever graduated from _our_ academy so early! It's – it's unheard of! The Council would never allow it." Her eyes slid out of focus as she finished the last statement.

Itachi hesitated for a moment before calling her back with another question, faintly wondering where her mind had gone. "Did you attend?"

"The Academy? Well – uh – sort of," Kimi replied evasively, a wry smile twisting up one corner of her mouth. She seemed unable to meet Itachi's eyes.

"Sort of?"

Kimi shrugged, mimicking Itachi's earlier movement. "Everyone in our village is given basic training," she explained, "self defense and stuff like that. You know? Anyway, if the Council doesn't think you're fit to be a shinobi, then they drop you from the program. Very few students graduate each year – and only those they really approve of."

Itachi did not ask the question that rose in his mind. Her tone had already answered it. This "Council" had not seen her "fit" to be a shinobi and had thus dropped her from the program – refused her any training. He scowled slightly.

"That doesn't seem fair. If you want to be a shinobi, regardless of natural ability, you should be allowed to train." Itachi tilted his head. "Do you want to be one?"

Kimi shook her head. "I don't know. At one time, I thought so, but now . . ." She sighed. "I don't really want to be a shinobi – a weapon. No offense to you, of course. I just – I don't know." She fell silent, her face troubled.

Itachi chewed on his lower lip for a moment. "So," he said slowly, lightening his tone in an attempt to lighten the mood, "where were you going when you got lost?"

"Konohagakure," Kimi replied, sitting a little straighter, "the Village Hidden in the Leaves." Before Itachi could ask why, she seemed to sense the question and proceeded with a soft smile. "I've always wanted to travel and see the world – meet new people – experience the culture – eat new food – that sort of thing." Itachi chuckled. "I heard a lot of nice things about Konoha, so I thought I'd go there. But there was a storm yesterday and I had to take shelter in the forest." She looked around at the trees towering over them. "This place looks a lot different in the light, and it doesn't help that I'm directionally challenged."

Itachi rose to his feet, brushing off his tan shorts. "Well, today's your lucky day." He touched his forehead protector again. "I happen to be from Konoha. I'll take you there." The young shinobi held out a hand to her.

"Thanks," Kimi said, "but I don't think I'm going anywhere fast." She looked down at her left ankle. "I slipped on the wet ground and twisted my ankle."

"That's not a problem," Itachi stated almost flippantly, still holding out his hand to her.

"You don't get it. I can't walk."

Itachi smiled and said without thinking, "But I can carry you." She stared at him and he wiggled his fingers. "Come on. We can get you some ice in the village."

Kimi's look of surprise faded into an easy smile as she reached up and accepted Itachi's hand.

**Author's Note 2: **I think I'm going to have quite a bit of fun with Itachi's confusion . . . :)


	3. III

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note**: I'm not sure I have much of a note here . . . I'll just say this. I love humor and "aww" moments, so there's going to be quite a bit in this fic. I hope you enjoy!

III

Itachi hardly noticed Kimi's weight on his back as he trotted down the dirt road that led to Konoha. She was being careful not to strangle him, loosely draping her arms around his shoulders to help stabilize herself. If it had not been for the fact that Itachi was acutely aware of her cool cheek against his neck, he might have forgotten that she was there.

In fact, the young shinobi was so lost in his own analysis of Kimi's earlier actions and reactions that when she suddenly gasped, he was startled to a halt.

"What is it?" he asked urgently, eyes flying to the shadowed trees as he mentally chided himself for carelessly losing himself in his thoughts. "What's wrong?" He suddenly thought of her ankle; had he jostled it somehow?

"It's huge!" Kimi exclaimed, her voice layered with pure awe.

Puzzled, Itachi followed her upturned gaze to the tops of the trees. Indeed, over the canopy, the very top of the wall that surrounded Konoha could be seen. Itachi chuckled and continued walking. "You're right. It is. The wall circles all of Konoha. I'll spare you all the minor details, but in essence, you're right. It's huge."

Saying this, Itachi finished the final curve in the road. From over his shoulder, Kimi gave a long sigh, eyes wide. The wall, and the arched main entrance to the village, was in full view now.

"Wow," Kimi breathed. She then giggled lightly. "I don't envy anyone who might try to invade this place. They wouldn't stand a chance."

Itachi did not reply, face falling flat instead. They were within sight of the wall sentries. Though he knew for certain that others were hidden at various vantage points, Itachi easily spotted the pair of chunin seated within a small hut just inside the gate. Considering his reputation as being a distant genin – not interested in being "involved" with anyone – Itachi did not want to appear too friendly toward Kimi while under the eyes of fellow Konoha-nin.

Kimi dropped her head back onto Itachi's shoulder, her eyes slipping closed. Itachi almost faltered for a moment, but managed to continue on smoothly. He focused on the girl he carried, careful not to allow this intense focus to reach his facial features. He could feel Kimi's heartbeat and breathing slow against his back. Had she fallen asleep?

As he resisted the urge to turn his head and check on her – and before he failed to do so – one of the seated men called out to him. "Back so soon, Itachi? I figured you'd be out all day."

Itachi inclined his head to the shinobi, not halting in his smooth gait. He knew they would ask him about Kimi; it was protocol to do so with any unfamiliar entries – and even some of the familiar ones as well. Still, he silently willed the two to let him continue and not stop him for questioning.

He was not so lucky, for the second man – adjusting his sunglasses – asked, "What do you have there, Itachi?"

"Twisted ankle," Itachi replied without hesitation. "She can't walk on it, so I'm taking her to get some ice." He paused in the middle of the road, just past the stand and gazed at the man, an almost challenging glint in his eye.

The second man merely pursed his lips, saying nothing. The first, however, nodded with a small smile, speaking around the glowing cigarette he held between his teeth. "That's very nice of you, Itachi. Smart, too, to not let her walk on it. That could cause a lot more problems than a twisted ankle itself is worth." He scribbled something on his notepad and waved the young shinobi and his ward on. "You both have a nice day."

Itachi nodded to the men and continued on without another word. As he did so, another young man – a few years older than himself and yet a fellow genin – jogged up with a slip of paper in his hand. "Hey, Itachi," the young man said as he passed.

"Iruka," Itachi responded flatly.

Iruka stepped up to the stand and handed the folded paper to the man with the sunglasses. "Lord Hokage sent me to give this to you. It's a new page for your bingo books. Just came in today."

The man unfolded the paper, eyes scanning the information written there. He nodded and ducked down to fetch a small black book from under the stand, handing the paper to his companion. After reading it himself, the first man ran a hand across the stubble of his beard, removing his cigarette and breathing out a puff of smoke.

"Another rouge ninja, eh? They're becoming more and more frequent now-a-days, especially after that uprising in the Land of Waves. I hope this doesn't turn out to be some sort of epidemic." He chuckled to himself, shaking his head slightly.

By this time, Itachi had reached the line of one of the strips of trees that stretched through parts of the village. As he stepped into the cool shadows, Kimi spoke near his right ear.

"Rogue ninja?"

Since they were out of sight, Itachi allowed himself to smirk. "Alive, are we?"

Kimi snorted in his ear reaching up with one hand to flick his nose. When she missed – Itachi had tilted his head out of the way at the last minute – she rested her head back on his shoulder. "I didn't miss anything."

"I thought you were asleep."

"Do you think they did too?"

Itachi scowled slightly. "Is there a reason they'd need to?"

She lifted her head again. "Well, it was easier on you; wasn't it? If they thought I was awake, they would have probably detained you longer to question me, too."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"My ankle isn't getting any better."

Itachi grunted in return. To his surprise, Kimi twisted her head to plant a light kiss behind his ear. "Sorry," she said – he could hear the smile in her voice. "Did I make you mad?" He said nothing, and after a moment, Kimi took a breath and continued. "So, what was all that about rogue ninja?"

Deciding to forgive her for the moment – but not forget the event – Itachi shrugged on shoulder – with some difficulty since Kimi was leaning on it now. "There are some shinobi that betray their village for some reason or another. Driven by power or something of the like, they betray and even kill their fellow shinobi. Some simply leave the village and are branded deserters for the act, leaving the village in a time of need. Thus, the general term for them is rogue ninja."

"Driven by power," Kimi repeated softly.

"Right," Itachi continued. "When they leave or are banished from their respective villages, they mark out the symbols on their headbands. That's the easiest way to recognize one. There's a deep gouge across the center of their forehead protectors."

Kimi chewed on her lower lip for a moment. "So what exactly does one have to do to be branded a rogue ninja?"

"Betrayal – of course – mass murder, mutiny; the list goes on, really." Itachi paused. "Why are you so interested?"

"There's just so much about the life of a shinobi," Kimi explained. "The more I learn . . ."

Itachi nodded, understanding the finish of that sentence through the bleak tone of her voice without her needing to do so aloud. "Yeah. I can see why you don't want to be a shinobi. It's complicated – and rough."

"Then why do you try so hard to be one?"

This question threw Itachi for a moment, and he paused between a pair of thick trees. He had never really thought about the answer to that question before. "Well," he replied slowly, "it's 

a part of who I am, I guess. It's always come naturally to me, as natural as breathing. I don't really have to _try_."

He carefully set her down on a moss-covered rock. "Wait here. I'll run on ahead and get some ice for your ankle. It'll be faster. Don't worry; I'll be right back."

Kimi cocked her head to one side, blinking up at him with those deep twilight eyes. "If there was a road, why did we come this way? Wouldn't it have been easier to take a smoother route?"

Itachi shrugged, walking backwards so she could see the smirk on his face as he answered. "Too many eyes – too many questions."

Kimi's soft laughter followed him as he ran toward the Uchiha Clan stronghold.


	4. IV

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note:** Just a note of warning. I've only gotten to writing nine chapters of this -- plus some future tidbits that will be used later. It's a bit slower coming than another piece I'm working on. This has a bit more meat to it, I suppose. There are totally unknown characters to build and develop. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. I'm considering adding the soundtrack I've compiled to my profile as I have for _Fangrlz_, but I'm afraid it might give a bit much away. If you want it, though, I'll put it up. Enjoy!

IV

Itachi jogged easily through the trees and out into the open sun. He squinted momentarily in the bright light but did not falter, navigating the back streets without hesitation or doubt. He knew the maze of streets like the back of his hand; he never took an unsure step or turn, knowing the exact route – and quickest one – that would take him home. Though it was not the most direct, the route he took was not crowded with people and he would not call attention to himself as he would have if he had taken to the rooftops.

Still, Itachi's heart raced, carrying with it an unfamiliar nervous feeling. He had never felt this anxious before, even when he was going on a mission. Why would now be any different? What about this girl was so important? He shook his head as he ran. It was strange – no doubt about it – the effect Kimi had on him. Even in the one, bare hour he had spent with her, Itachi felt completely at ease in her presence.

The young shinobi gritted his teeth. _Why?_

His frustrated pondering was cut short as he arrived in the miniature village-in-a-village that housed the entire Uchiha Clan. Itachi barely glanced up at the red and white symbol of a fan that hung over the archway as he hurried through. He paid little attention to the slightly-plump woman with the beginning hints of gray in her hair as he rushed past her.

The woman, however, looked up from her sweeping and laughed. "Whoa, there, Itachi. Where's the fire?"

Knowing it would be rude to do otherwise, Itachi threw a brief greeting in his aunt's direction before continuing on to his own house. Pausing just within the doorway only long enough to kick off his shoes and drop his backpack in the corner, Itachi padded swiftly and silently into the kitchen where his mother was steadily chopping vegetables.

Mikoto Uchiha looked up from her work with a startled expression and then smiled at her eldest son. "You're home early," she commented lightly. "How was your day?"

"Fine," Itachi grunted as he crossed over to open the freezer. "It's not over yet, though." His heart fluttered irrationally as he thought of spending the rest of the day with Kimi. He mentally shook himself from the momentary reverie, grateful when his mother spoke up.

"What do you need, darling?" She chuckled softly. "You can't be hungry already. Ah, well. You _are_ a growing boy. Don't eat too much or you'll ruin your dinner."

Itachi shook his head, pulling out a frozen ice tray and fetching a plastic bag from the cupboard. "I just need some ice."

As he dumped the contents of the tray into the bag, Mikoto turned from her work to study him. "You aren't hurt, are you?"

Her son shook his head, closing the bag and moving to refill the tray. "No, ma'am."

Mikoto's eyes followed him as he moved purposefully around the kitchen to replace the water-filled tray in the freezer. "Then what do you need ice for?"

Grateful that his back was to his mother, Itachi fought back a smile as he replied, "Just training." He closed the freezer door and turned to snatch up the bag and head out of the kitchen. "I'll be back later, mother."

"Make sure you're back in time for dinner," Mikoto called after him.

Itachi waved his hand in acknowledgement as he vanished from her sight. When he reached the entryway and started to slip his shoes back on, a small voice called out from behind him.

"Where're you going, Itachi?"

The young shinobi turned to see his little brother, Sasuke shuffling toward him. He allowed himself to smile down at the three-year-old boy. "I have some training to do," he repeated the excuse he had given his mother.

Sasuke's eyes widened pleadingly. "Can I go too?"

Itachi reached down and mussed the little boy's hair. "Not today, kid. Maybe next time." He winked at his little brother and strode coolly out the door.

When he was out of the boy's line of sight, Itachi doubled his pace, half-running down the main street that led out of the Uchiha Clan stronghold. As he passed back under the archway, he faintly heard his aunt chuckle behind him. He ignored it, though, and retraced his earlier steps, following the path that would take him back to Kimi.

He found her without any problem; she had not moved from where he had left her. Kimi still sat on the moss-coated stone, staring distantly up at the high branches above her head. Again, she seemed completely unaware of Itachi's approach, lost in her own thoughts. As he neared, Itachi could see her lips moving slightly and she sighed; with that sigh, he clearly heard her speak.

"Yeah. Right."

Itachi slowed slightly, suddenly wary of the girl. The tone of those two words sounded as if she was conceding a point to someone. But who? There was no one around. Forcing a smile on his face through the unease twisting his stomach, Itachi called out, "Right what?"

Kimi jerked in surprise, staring at Itachi with fear plainly in her eyes, and then laughed when she recognized him. "I was just thinking out loud. Gracious, you scared me."

The young shinobi smirked. "Sorry." He stepped over and folded himself smoothly into a cross-legged position in front of her. "What about?"

"Hmm?"

"What were you thinking about?" As he asked this, Itachi gently lifted Kimi's ankle and rested it in his lap, placing the bag of ice on her slightly swollen ankle.

"Oh. I was just wondering – oh! That's cold!"

Itachi laughed. "Well, it _is_ ice. Did you expect it to be hot?" Kimi said nothing, merely rolling her eyes at his remark. When she did not pick up her interrupted answer, Itachi prompted her, "You were just wondering . . .?"

"Why you're helping me," Kimi finished quietly, looking down as if ashamed of the answer. She had taken the flower out from behind her ear – having put it there when he was carrying her so she would not crush it in her hands – and was slowly turning it in her fingers. "I'm no one special."

Itachi scowled, studying the girl's down-turned face. She was chewing on her lower lip now, her eyes beginning to glass over with the first tears. "Don't say that," he commanded sternly, but softly.

Kimi shook her head slightly, squeezing her eyes shut in an attempt to fight back the tears building within them. Itachi's mind raced, startled into action by this unexpected development. He had to find some way to steer her away from this sorrow – this depression. _'I'm no one special.' That's her 'Council' talking_, he thought bitterly.

A sudden thought seized him, a sudden plan – silly and romantic, but plausible. He reached up and touched Kimi's knee to get her attention. "Do you know what kind of flower that is?" he asked gently.

The girl opened her eyes to gaze at the blossom in her hands. She shook her head, managing a soft 'no.' Itachi chuckled.

"Well, neither do I, actually. I've never seen it before, but I _do_ know a thing or two about it." He paused before continuing. "As strange, new, and different as it is, it's still pretty . . . like you."

Kimi's eyes widened as a blush swept across her cheeks. The corners of her lips twitched upward, and Itachi pressed on.

"If you were to see this flower closed, it would seem like just any other wildflower – plain, white, and nothing out of the ordinary. When it blooms, however, it reveals the wonder of its heart. Only then can you see how special it is."

Itachi shifted onto his knees, looking Kimi eye to tear-filled eye. "You're special, too," he said gently. "You just have to bloom – show people how pretty your own heart is."

Kimi gave a wet smile, tears trickling around her cheeks to pool slightly in the corners of her mouth. "Thank you, Itachi. You're so kind."

Itachi chuckled. "It would seem that you bring out the best of me."

The young girl seated in front of him cocked her head, puzzled by the genin's soft laughter. Her eyes seemed somehow distant and sad, despite the slight smirk on her face. "No one's ever been so nice to me."

Itachi frowned momentarily before grinning up at her and taking her hand. Giving it a gentle squeeze, he said, "Then they all were fools to ignore such a treasure. I barely know you, and yet I can see how you shine."

Kimi stiffened slightly but then relaxed and smiled. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you."


	5. V

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village

**Author's Note:** Alright. I hate to give an ultimatum, but if anyone is reading this, _please review so that I know you are_. So far, I've only had one person review this, and I know her personally, so though she does count as a review, I don't consider it grounds to keep posting chapters up here every other week. I could just as easily email her the next chapter as I write it. _If you like this and want me to continue posting, **review!**_ Again, I know that the whole "Itachi's lover" tale is a little overdone, but I still have a soft spot for this one and have it planned out pretty far. Since it's a bit more detailed than Fangrlz (which I update every week), it takes a bit longer to write, so I can understand your impatience between chapters, but please please _please don't let that discourage you! _As a writer, I like to know how my works are being accepted, whether liked or disliked. I don't like to beg for reviews, but I don't want to be wasting my time with this if no one is reading it or wants it to continue. So, please, **_review!_** Thank you.

V

Later, Itachi lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. His stomach twisted, not from hunger or sickness, but from worry. It was a strange sensation, and though Itachi refused to admit it – even to himself – it scared him. He scowled in the dark. What right did this girl have to make him feel this way? Itachi rolled over violently; he hated it! He hated it – but not Kimi. With a sudden, strange epiphany, he realized that he could not hate her – could never hate her.

Itachi sighed, relaxing and closing his eyes. He could easily call up Kimi's face from his memory – her smile – her laugh – her words when she assured him that she would be alright on her own. She had turned him down when he offered her a place to stay.

"I wouldn't want to impose," she had replied lightly, "and besides, I have plenty of money. I planned ahead. Don't worry. I'll be fine."

Still, as Itachi lay in bed that night, he _did_ worry. He knew that Kimi had made it safely to the inn. He had followed her through the twilight; he had seen her in her rented room. He knew she was safe there, but still . . . that anxious feeling of worry would not leave.

The boy heaved another sigh. With his mind racing as quickly as it was, he was certain that he would never get to sleep. Luckily, Itachi was wrong for once. His thoughts slowly faded and he slipped eventually into the dark realms of sleep.

* * *

Itachi stood in deep shadows. He peered around himself, Sharingan activated, but his eyes failed to penetrate the immense darkness threatening to smother him. Though he remained calm, carefully controlling his heart rate so that it would not rise to a panicked frenzy, his hands moving to the pouch that hung from his waist for a kunai; his hand found nothing.

Catching his breath in his chest, Itachi looked down. Strangely, though he could not see any of his surroundings, he could clearly see himself. He was barefoot, wearing only his cotton pajamas – weaponless.

_No_, Itachi told himself. _A shinobi is never weaponless. I still have my jutsu._

As he thought this, a sound echoed from behind him. He focused on it, instantly learning two things. One: he was in a large chamber, large enough for sound to bounce around freely. Two: he was not alone. The sound was that of footsteps, light – as if the person was attempting to sneak through the shadows – yet clearly audible to Itachi's trained ear.

Itachi stood still, relaxed but ready to spring into action. The footsteps came closer and closer, becoming louder as the person neared. When they had come close enough – loud enough – Itachi whirled, hands flashing rapidly through the signs that would channel his chakra to form –

The young shinobi froze in mid-sequence as he shared into another pair of Sharingan-marked eyes – his own eyes. As Itachi stopped with the tiger sign half-made, the other him did the same. He lowered his hands slowly; the other Itachi moved in perfect sync.

Itachi gave a small laugh, smirking. "It's just a mirror," he breathed, the sound not loud enough to be caught by the echo effect of the cavernous room.

It was then that he remembered the footsteps. Strange. They had stopped. He scowled slightly, turning his eyes back to his own emotionless face. Why could he see himself and his reflection in the shining glass but nothing else?

"What is this?" he asked the air, not caring when he spoke loud enough for his words to echo back to him. "Where am I?"

His reflection shrugged, smirking mischievously. Itachi jumped back; he had not moved. Laughing silently, his reflection made a flapping motion with one hand, as if he wanted Itachi to follow him, and turned away, walking back into the darkness. Heart thundering in his chest, Itachi crept slowly forward.

"What?" he gasped shakily.

Swallowing, Itachi reached out and cautiously pressed his hand against the glass. As soon as his skin touched the cool surface, the mirror shattered. The young shinobi jerked away, shielding his head as shards flew around him. These shards began to glow and elongate, surrounding the boy with blinding light. Itachi pressed his eyes closed, but the light pierced his lids, searing his eyes and leaving him momentarily blinded when it faded.

As the spots finished dancing in Itachi's eyes, his surroundings came into focus. Dim light filtered down through high trees. Everything around him seemed to be all green. Moss-coated rocks and trees; vines trailed from branches like some sort of thick hair; ferns clothed the ground in a leafy blanket.

Upon closer inspection, the scattered rocks revealed themselves to be in fact rubble – remnants of crumbling walls. Itachi peered around himself with black eyes, now recognizing the ruins for what they were. He could barely make out the shapes of houses around him. He studied them more closely, curious. No. They were not separate houses. The shapes formed by the walls and the slivers of broken tile littering the ground suggested something else – rooms. Itachi stood in the remains of some mansion or fortress.

The boy looked back up to inspect the tree cover. Doing so, he found that most of the above-head foliage originated from a single source. A giant tree towered over all the rest, its wide branches filling the sky.

Itachi made his way through the thick foliage, coming finally to the base of the immense tree. Along the way, he passed by rows and rows of broken stone and jagged glass. At one point along the way, he started and quickened his pace, having spotted a cracked – but still whole – skull staring up from the rubble.

Standing now in the direct shadow of the giant tree, Itachi craned his neck to stare up at the heart of the impossibly large oak. Finally, he wondered how one could grow to be so grand. He lifted a hand to touch the rough bark, but hesitated inches from the surface, staying his hand. Would it shatter too at his touch?

Before he could find an answer to the question, a twig snapped nearby. Whirling, Itachi caught sight of a pair of wide eyes peeking from around a nearby tree. He knew those deep eyes – that shy grin.

He smiled himself and waved a greeting. "Hey, Kimi."

The girl giggled lightly and ducked out of sight, strangely golden hair flying out behind her. Shaking his head in amusement, Itachi followed. She led him through the thick labyrinth of trees, remaining always just out of reach. Itachi would catch an occasional flash of gold – a bubbly laugh that seemed to echo as if he still stood in the cavernous darkness – and would press on in return. But no matter how fast he moved, she seemed to move slightly faster, just enough to remain ever ahead of him.

Itachi slowed to a halt, calling out to the girl. "Kimi! Where are you?"

The forest seemed to swallow his call, returning only silence. With a jolt, Itachi realized that there were no birds. The only sound lay in the rustle of leaves in the soft breeze. His eyes flickered rapidly around him, though they did not fail to soak in every detail. Where was she? Where could she have gone? The forest seemed to extend forever around him, and Kimi was nowhere in sight.

As Itachi turned to strike off in another direction, a sudden scream split the air. His heart skipped a beat, and he spun to face the direction of the pain-filled shriek.

"Kimi!" he cried out again, sprinting forward with newfound fervor.

Moments later, the young girl crashed into sight ahead of him. Her eyes were wide in fear. "Itachi!" she cried, stretching an arm out to him.

Itachi reached out to grab her, trying to close the inconceivable distance between them. She seemed so far away, though; she was right there, but somehow, the two appeared to only be getting farther away.

Kimi pushed forward, yelling Itachi's name frantically. Her eyes suddenly widened and she stumbled in mid-step with a gasp of pain. The space between them instantly shrank to nothing, and Kimi fell into Itachi's arms. The young shinobi's breath caught in his throat as he spotted the kunai knife protruding from her back. Unable to speak, Itachi sank to his knees, holding Kimi in his arms. The forest faded away, the immense blackness returning.

A uniformed figure appeared before Itachi, staring down at the pair with the blood-red eyes of the Sharingan. Fugaku Uchiha, Itachi's father, spoke flatly. "It was just training, after all, a test to learn more about yourself. Why would you care about her? She's nothing."

Itachi could not breathe, string dumbfounded at his father. In his arms, Kimi breathed out his name, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth and voice barely above a whisper. He looked down as her eyes slid out of focus and a white flower with an indigo heart slipped from her hand.

Itachi sat up suddenly in bed, drenched in sweat, with a single word on his lips – not a word, really – a name.

"Kimi."


	6. VI

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note:** Well, here's the next chapter. Again, not much is really known about Itachi's early training -- who was his sensei and who else was in his squad? I don't know . . . so I've kind of guesstimated times and ages to come up with the following. I hope you like it. There's not as much Kimi in it, so you get to see a little of how Itachi acts around other people. Sorry if Itachi's gotten a little OOC. I didn't realize it was really happening until Kiri-No-Miko pointed it out to me. Thanks! As I told her, I'm not really sure myself whether or not Itachi's actually opening up to Kimi . . . or if he's just testing his capacity concerning human interaction. What better a test subject than one who doesn't know how he normally acts, right? Well, here's the next chapter, folks. Enjoy!

VI

Birds chirped high in the branches above Itachi as he stood in a relaxed stance, fingers brushing seam of his shorts. His eyes were open a fraction, Sharingan active and ready for use. Ignoring the stoic form of his sensei watching from nearby, Itachi focused his senses on the surrounding forest. It was only a matter of time, now. Though no leaf rustled or twig snapped, he became suddenly aware of movement to his right – and left. Itachi smirked slightly. _Time to work._

Three shuriken flew suddenly from the shadows to his right, followed swiftly by the lithe form of a young man. A kunai all but appeared in Itachi's right hand as he lifted it to block the flying metal. His left hand then snapped out with snake speed and snatched the attacking boy's wrist. Using his assailer's momentum against him, Itachi turned and slung the genin into a second boy – who had been advancing from the left. Both crashed to the ground in a heap.

It had only taken seconds to fend off the attack; Itachi had barely exerted himself. Grunting, Izumo and Kotetsu – his two squad-mates and assailants – pushed themselves upright.

Kotetsu rubbed his head gingerly. "You know, you _could_ just let us win for once," he said.

Shaking his head, their sensei – Hiashi Hyuga – stepped forward. "That would defeat the purpose of the exercise. With his Sharingan, Itachi can read your movements and react instantly. You need to learn to adapt and plan accordingly. Straight on attacks won't always work on your opponent. Your enemy may have skills you don't know about, so you need to be ready for anything."

"But none of our enemies are going to be using the Sharingan," Izumo complained. "That's the Uchiha Clan kekkei genkai. None of our enemies –"

"If you cannot defeat a powerful ally," Hiashi interrupted sternly, "then you will not be able to defeat a powerful enemy." He surveyed the squad. "True, none of our enemies will use the Sharingan against us, but what abilities – what other jutsu – are out there that we don't know of? Expect the unexpected. Put your all on the table and don't give your opponent a chance to plan."

Moving back into the shadows, Hiashi stated, "Now, begin again."

Itachi nodded to his sensei. Before he completed the motion, Kotetsu was on his feet and lunging at him. The young Uchiha leapt back, blocking the attack smoothly. Motion behind him. Izumo. Itachi ducked down and used his squad-mate's momentum to throw the boy over him.

They had changed their tactic, going for a more straightforward approach and trying to wear him down. They were hoping that he would make a mistake; then they would take advantage of the opening and take him down.

Itachi Uchiha, however, never made mistakes.

The three boys moved rapidly through attacks and defensive moves, their actions taking on the appearance of some strange and intricate dance. Metal clashed as kunai met, sparks flying out from the contact.

As Itachi blocked another assault from Izumo, he became suddenly aware of a man standing next to Hiashi. "How goes the training?" the visitor asked coolly.

The voice was familiar, and Itachi's eyes flicked instinctively toward the man – his father. The sight of Fugaku Uchiha standing half in shadows triggered a sudden memory. Kimi's face – pale – a fleck of blood on her lips – her eyes lifeless – flashed across Itachi's vision.

Itachi's footing faltered. Before he could recover himself, Kotetsu's fist was inches from his face. Itachi jerked and the blow grazed his cheek. Turning his stumble into an easy roll, Itachi swiftly moved behind Izumo and swept the boy's feet from beneath him.

Kotetsu, staring amazed at his own fist, did not bring up his guard in time. Itachi hurled him into the brush with a neatly executed spin kick. The young Uchiha landed in a crouch, eyes moving between his opponents – avoiding his father's critical gaze.

Hiashi cleared his throat. "That's enough for today. Dismissed."

Itachi bowed to him – still not looking at Fugaku – and turned on his heel, swiftly striding away from the embarrassing ordeal. It was bad enough that Kotetsu got in a blow, but in front of his father! In front of Fugaku! It was disgraceful!

"Hey! Itachi! Wait up!"

Itachi paused and looked blankly back as Izumo and Kotetsu jogged to catch up. Kotetsu smiled sheepishly. "Are you alright? Sorry 'bout that."

"Don't be," Itachi replied flatly. "We were training. It's – to be expected." But it had never happened before. Itachi resisted the urge to lift a hand to the place on his cheek. It burned – more out of shame, though, than pain.

"I guess so," Kotetsu said dubiously.

Izumo elbowed him. "So, you going to train some more? Mind if we join you? The more the merrier, right?" Itachi thought he sounded a bit too eager.

He turned away. "No."

Izumo slowly followed him. "No, you don't mind? Or –"

"I'm not going to train."

"Oh. Then where –"

"To meditate. Alone."

Izumo fell silent, and Itachi continued to walk away. Before he had escaped them, though, Kotetsu spoke up. "You can't overanalyze everything, you know. It's not healthy."

Itachi scowled slightly but made no reply, vanishing into the trees. _Not healthy_. Could that be why he had his first nightmare last night? As far as he could remember, he had never had such a dream – he rarely dreamed anyway. _You can't overanalyze everything_. But what was he supposed to do? He had to know what made her so important. He had to know why he was so obsessed with her. He _had_ to!

First, though, he had to find her.

Itachi returned to the inn where Kimi was staying. The window was propped open, and he could see – even from a distance – that the room was empty. His scowl deepened as he stood in his chosen tree and scanned the streets below. There was no sign of her. Where would she have gone? Surely, from his lookout, he would be able to spot the flash of her golden hair in the high sun. There was no missing its odd color.

"Didja lose something?"

The singsong voice came from below Itachi. He stiffened and looked down; he had not heard anyone approach. Familiar eyes glittered up at him from beneath the wide brim of a bamboo hat. That explained why he did not see her hair; it was tucked beneath the kasa, only a few strands falling on either side of her face.

Itachi dropped down in front of Kimi, strangely relieved. "Not anymore," he stated, relaxing slightly. He cocked an eyebrow. "I like the hat, by the way."

Kimi giggled lightly, lifting up her hands to brush the round rim. "Thanks. It keeps the sun out of my eyes. How did training go?" When he did not reply, her smile faltered. "That _was_ where you were this morning, wasn't it?"

"It was fine," Itachi said flatly, looking away. He could not keep his eyes off of her for long, though, and when he looked back, he found her gazing at him with her head tilted slightly to one side – eyes skeptical.

He cleared his throat. "So what were _you_ up to this morning?"

Kimi shrugged one shoulder. "Just looking around. I found a nice hat that I liked."

Her cheerful, off-hand voice seemed to chase away the dark clouds in Itachi's mind. In spite of himself, he found his mood lifting and his worries drifting away. He chuckled and flicked the brim. "I can see that."

Kimi smirked, grabbing the kasa before it fell off her head, dislodged by the flick. "So, what now? We have the rest of the day. What do you want to do with it?"

Itachi looked out of the woods and into town, deep in thought. He had told Izumo and Kotetsu that he would be meditating. If they happened to run into the pair in town – that would be awkward. Too many questions. No. he would give her a tour of the village later.

He turned back to Kimi. "Have you had lunch yet?" He had managed to pack for two without his mother noticing.

Kimi shook her head. "No. Not yet."

"Good," Itachi said. "Come with me." He stepped past the girl, leading her back into the forest. She followed without question.


	7. VII

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note: **Yeah, I know I'm posting this pretty early, considering the fact that I usually wait and update _Juusanbi_ every other week. I just felt like posting something today, so here it is! Yay! I hope you enjoy the chapter! I think it's one of the longest I've ever posted up here. Woot! Enjoy!

VII

Kimi reclined face-up in the small clearing, eyes closed and a soft smile of content on her face as she soaked in the warmth of the sun. Her hair fanned out around her head, a shimmering halo of gold. Her hat lay nearby, next to one of her hands – palm up, fingers curled in a relaxed position.

Itachi watched her passively as her chest rose and fell in a slow, lazy motion. It was a calming sound – her breathing. He sat a few feet away from her, cross-legged, but still a bit stiffly. Faintly, he wished he could be as relaxed as the girl he watched, but as a shinobi, he was always on guard.

A butterfly fluttered across the grass, circling Kimi's head before coming to rest on the tip of her nose. Itachi held his breath as the insect opened and closed its wings. Kimi did not move. Did she know it was there? Was she asleep? As if to answer his mental question, Kimi cracked one eye to peer at the butterfly. A smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. The butterfly continued to flex its wings.

"Hi there," Kimi said softly.

The butterfly floated away. Sitting up, Kimi laughed and stretched her arms above her head. The crooked grin she threw in Itachi's direction fell on blind eyes. When she had roused from her cat nap, Itachi had assumed a meditative stance – hands forming the tiger sign in front of him – eyes closed.

Mentally, he chided himself. He had been afraid that she would find him staring. Afraid. Itachi Uchiha had been _afraid_. It was blasphemous.

With his hearing – heightened without the use of his eyes – Itachi noted Kimi shifting her weight. Though he could not see her, she crept forward on her hands and knees, her face twisted by intense concentration. A sly glint flashed in her eyes.

Itachi heard nothing and puzzled over the fact. What was she doing? Then, the slight rustle of fabric caught his attention. How did she get that close? He breathed in slowly and deliberately through his nose. He detected a strange scent – slightly floral – maybe herbal? Lavender? Jasmine? Rosemary, perhaps? He could not place it.

Kimi's nose was inches from his own. He could almost feel the air moving around her.

Without warning, Itachi snapped his eyes open. "Boo!"

Kimi gasped and jerked in surprise, falling back on her rear. Her startled look rapidly transformed into one of amusement, bubbly laughter soon following. The girl's face lit up, and Itachi marveled at how she could be so carefree.

Smirking slyly, Kimi said, "I didn't know a shinobi could have a sense of humor." Her smile faltered slightly. "The only shinobi I've known have been old statues. I used to think that was a rule." Her eyes glittered. "I guess you proved me wrong."

Itachi stood smoothly. "Just don't tell anyone," he said half-seriously, reaching out to help her up.

As Kimi rose to her feet, she winked. "It'll be our little secret, hey?"

The young Uchiha chuckled and glanced at the sky. The sun had moved since they had come to the small, miniature meadow. Enough time had passed for it to be safe for the two of them in town.

"What do you say to an official tour of Konoha?"

Kimi cocked her head. "Official?"

He shrugged. "Official-unofficial."

Smiling again, wider now, Kimi nodded. "Sounds like fun."

* * *

Whispers and eyes trailed Itachi as he trotted smoothly down the side of the street. The young shinobi carefully kept his gaze forward and his face blank. He felt heat building in his cheeks and silently prayed that he was not blushing. _So much for keeping a low profile_.

When the crowd thinned out ahead of him, Itachi shot a quick glance to his right. There, setting the slow pace, walked Kimi. Rather, she teetered. Kimi was up on a wall – shoulder-high to Itachi – carefully placing one foot ahead of the other. She had a crooked grin on her face, arms held out for balance.

She was talking too.

". . . so lucky to live here. It's absolutely beautiful! The people here are really friendly, too." She paused to wave energetically at a woman with wild black hair and an oversized dog at her side.

The woman had a small boy – about Sasuke's age – in tow. The child, red triangles on his cheeks, was staring wide-eyed up at Kimi. He shyly returned her wave as his mother continued down the street.

Itachi groaned softly, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. This was a mistake – a disaster! What had he been thinking?

"Would you get down from there?" he asked through the corner of his mouth.

Kimi blinked innocently down at him, continuing her slow, steady pace down the wall. "Why?"

Itachi tilted his head downward, shooting a fierce glare at a pair of ogling genin and mumbling, "You're embarrassing me."

To his mortification, Kimi laughed loudly, drawing more eyes and enticing more whispers. She hopped over a loose rock, balancing precariously on one foot before continuing on. Itachi did not know whether to scowl or smirk. He had to admit to himself, though, that her antics _were_ rather amusing.

Stifling a chuckle at the intense look of concentration on her mouth, Itachi forced a frown and hissed, "What are you doing?"

Kimi giggled lightly. "Having fun. You should try it some time. It's like chocolate – good for the soul."

Itachi sighed and shook his head, but before he could argue the point, a strange sound caught his attention – an inhuman cry of fear followed by a loud crash. The people on the street paused and looked around – Kimi included. Itachi stood still and listened. Angry shouts and fearful screams – these human – joined in.

"Hey, look!" Kimi pointed through the nearby buildings.

Sure enough, even from where he stood, Itachi could see a column of smoke and dust rising. He focused his attention in that direction. Were the voices getting louder?

"I wonder what's going on," Kimi mused aloud, continuing her balanced walk with a slightly faster step and less flamboyant waving of the arms.

Itachi continued to stand and listen. Yes. It was getting closer. The inhuman cries were there too. Not just a cry, a whinny. He scowled. A horse? He could hear the galloping hooves – the terrified scream of a spooked horse. It was running this way.

The boy's heart nearly stopped as his head whipped around to Kimi. She had reached the corner, and her knees were bent to jump down. Shop stalls lined the next street, hiding what was going on from her – what was coming.

Reacting instinctively, Itachi sprinted after her, calling frantically, "Kimi! Stop! Look out!"

It was too late. She jumped lightly down, stumbling a few steps forward into the street. Her head lifted and face froze in a mask of surprise and horror. The horse, a chestnut-colored stallion, bore down on her – eyes wide and rolling – nostrils flared and snorting wildly.

Itachi dove forward, tackling Kimi out of the way. The horse missed by barely inches, skidding as it tried to stop from running headlong into a ramen shop. More screams erupted on the street, and Itachi heard no few people calling his name. He ignored them all, though, his entire focus on the girl beneath him.

He swiftly got off of her, crouching by her side. "Kimi. Kimi, are you alright?" There was a slightly frantic edge to his voice, which momentarily puzzled him.

Kimi groaned and sat up. "Horse," she gasped.

Itachi nodded. "Yes. You were almost run down. You have to be more careful. You could have been seriously –"

Kimi suddenly jumped to her feet. Her hat fell from her head, blonde hair flashing in the sun. "No. The horse!" She turned to where the beast was frantically trying to disentangle himself from the tables in the shop. "It could hurt itself!"

Itachi stared at her, dumbfounded. The horse had nearly run her over, and she was worrying about his safety instead of her own? Where was the sense in that?

Before he could make any move to stop her, Kimi dashed toward the flailing stallion. She ran _toward_ the thing while everyone else was running _away_. Was it courage or stupidity that drove her? Itachi shook his head, snatching up her hat and jogging after her.

The horse reared back, hooves flashing through the air with deadly force. Kimi walked boldly forward, hands held out in front of her in a sign of peace. She was speaking softly and gently, but Itachi could not make out the words. The horse whinnied loudly, shaking his head and snorting angrily. Heart pounding, Itachi moved closer to grab Kimi and pull her away.

The girl wove one hand behind her. "It's okay," she stated clearly, though to whom, Itachi did not know.

The stallion reared a second time; one hoof swiped the air so close to Kimi's head that the breeze from it moved her hair. She did not flinch. Instead, when the horse landed, she reached forward slowly and took hold of its reins.

Cooing softly, Kimi reached up and stroked the horse's nose. She repeated soothing words like some sort of mantra. "It's okay. It's okay. I'm not here to hurt you. Hush. Hush. That's a good boy. I'm a friend."

Amazingly, the horse calmed, his breathing slowing until slow and back to normal. Then, one hand on the reins and the other on the stallion's neck, Kimi led him out. She flashed a smile at Itachi before turning her attention to an older man approaching.

The man was breathing hard, sweat rolling off his brow. "Mikon," he gasped. "How'd you catch him? I thought for sure he'd be long gone by now. Shouldn't have brought him here knowing he was easily startled. Sorry about this." He peered at Kimi carefully. "Never seen him so calm. How'd you do it?"

Kimi patted the horse's cheek, and he leaned into it. Laughing softly, she scratched the spot for him. "I just have a way with animals is all," she said dismissively. "Mikon just needed a friendly face, didn't you, boy?"

The horse whickered softly and his owner chuckled. "Well, he seems to have taken a liking to you. Unlike him to stand so still." He thought for a moment. "Listen here. Where're your parents? I'd like to talk with them, see if there's any way you might be able to come out and help me around the farm."

The girl avoided Itachi's eyes. "I don't have any," she said softly.

Itachi blinked. No parents? He had known she was in Konoha alone – and faintly wondered why – but he never imagined that she was an orphan.

The farmer cleared his throat with an embarrassed grimace. "Ah – well, then – why don't you come back to my place with me? The missus wouldn't be too happy if I didn't offer you somewhere to stay. You could help us around the farm in exchange for the spare room."

Kimi cocked her head. "And a couple hot meals a day?"

"Fair enough."

The young girl smiled. "Then you've got yourself a deal." She looked over at Itachi, who handed over her hat. "See you around?"

Itachi nodded vacantly and watched Kimi as she trailed off behind the man, reigns gripped firmly in one hand.


	8. VIII

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note: **Alright. I've decided I'm going to throw the whole "posting schedule" out the window and give a chapter to you all whenever I write one or feel like it's been too long since I posted the last one. I just finished writing Chapter 10, so I have to be careful how often I post so I don't run out of materials. Still, I'll try not to make you guys wait too long between posting. I have the major points and events down that I want to happen. It's just filling in the blank parts in between that's the trouble at the moment -- builiding the story itself and developing the characters. Well, I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Cheers!

VIII

Several weeks passed before Itachi saw Kimi again, and every day he wondered how she was faring. Still, he could not understand why he thought of her each time he passed through the market and spotted stalls of fresh produce. He did not know why his chest felt so tight. It made no sense to him.

For most of the time, squad activities kept his mind busy. He traveled with his team and teacher to complete several missions – some trivial and simple while others somewhat dangerous. Nevertheless, his mind wandered every now and then to the golden girl – the enigma.

Itachi fought with himself no few times over the weeks concerning whether or not he should go out to the farm and check on her. If he did so, though, more questions would be raised concerning his involvement with her. He had already been grilled by his teammates concerning the horse incident. News traveled quickly in Konoha.

He was drawn many times to the meadow where they had their picnic during that span of time also. Itachi did not know why – what he expected to see there – but he would spend several hours there meditating each time.

During one of those particular incidents, as Itachi approached the clearing, the hollow sound of a wooden flute reached his ears, wafting through the air in a gentle melody. The notes rose and fell slowly. As they rose again, the player's fingers must have stumbled, for the instrument gave an unattractive squawk.

Several off-key notes followed before the sound of the flute finally cut off. A soft voice complained, "Why can't I hit that note? It ruins the whole thing."

Itachi's heart quickened. He recognized that voice.

"I tried that already. It just won't work."

The young shinobi reached the edge of the clearing, hoping his memory served him well. Apparently, it did, for when he stepped out into the light, he could easily recognize the girl sitting cross-legged in the meadow's heart.

Her mouth crinkled into a scowl as she contemplated the carved instrument in her hands. "Shut up," she mumbled.

Itachi smirked. "But I didn't say anything."

Kimi's head jerked up and a wide smile split her face. "Itachi!"

The Uchiha walked calmly forward. "Talking to ourselves are we? That's not a healthy sign, you know."

The girl laughed and rolled her eyes. "You don't have to tell me _that_ twice." She locked him in her indigo gaze. "So, how've you been?"

Itachi shrugged as he lowered himself smoothly to the ground. "Fine, I suppose." He nodded to the wooden flute in her hands. "I could hear you playing."

Kimi flushed. "Um, yeah. Mrs. Hoshi – she's Mr. Tadao's wife. You know; the farmer? Anyway, Mrs. Hoshi's teaching me how to play. I'm not really good yet. That high note's giving me trouble." She glanced up at him through her eyelashes. "So, do you play?"

"No. I never have time to learn anything like that."

The young girl giggled softly. "Well, I'd offer to teach you, but that wouldn't be fair to you." Her smirk became playful. "You _do _know that all work and no play isn't good for your health."

"Like talking to yourself?" Itachi countered with the lift of one eyebrow.

Kimi laughed. "Yeah, like talking to yourself."

The two fell into silence – not exactly an awkward one, but silence nonetheless. Itachi glanced habitually around the small meadow, scanning the trees. _No birds_, a small voice seemed to whisper in the back of his head. Before he could grasp the thought, Kimi spoke.

"I missed you," she said quietly.

Itachi looked back at her, startled. She was turning the flute over in her hands, avoiding his eyes with an embarrassed blush.

"You're not like most shinobi," Kimi continued. "You make me laugh, and I – I feel safe with you. Can't explain it. I just do." She glanced up at him cautiously as if to gauge his reaction.

"There are a lot of things," he admitted softly, "about this that I can't explain." Itachi shook his head slightly. "So, is this your first time back since you left with Tadao?"

Kimi seemed to take the change of subject in stride, smiling. "Yeah. We've gotten the work done faster than usual since I'm there to help them out with stuff, so Mrs. Hoshi said I could have the day off." Her eyes became slightly troubled. "Mrs. Hoshi offered me once to call her 'mother' and Mr. Tadao 'father,' but I just didn't feel comfortable doing that. I think they might want to adopt me, but I don't know how long I'm going to stay here."

Itachi's eyebrows drew together. "You're going to be leaving?"

"I _did_ say I wanted to see the world. I still have a lot more to go."

He thought for a moment, troubled by his reaction to the news. Anxiety? What did he care if she left? He's only really known her for two days – not counting her extended absence – so why would he feel so attached?

"So," he asked slowly, "how often do you think you're going to be in town?"

Kimi shrugged one shoulder in response. "I don't know. It all depends on what work we get done on the farm. It's not incredibly big. Most of the stuff they grow is for themselves."

"And what's that?"

So the pair talked – rather, Kimi talked and Itachi listened. He had never imagined that chickens could be so interesting, yet as Kimi told him of various experiences with the flightless birds, he found them to be quite amusing. Kimi did most of the talking and laughing, but Itachi did not mind. He even laughed with her from time to time.

Time wore on and suddenly Kimi rose to her feet, staring at the sky. "Oh dear!" she cried. "I didn't realize it was getting so late." The amber light of the sunset glittered like fire off of her hair. "I should get back before they start to worry."

Itachi stood. "Are you sure you know the way back?" he asked, a teasing tone to his voice. "I could walk you home."

"That's sweet," Kimi replied with a smile and slight blush, "but I'll have to decline. Your family's probably wondering where you are, and I'm sure I can find my way back. There's a road straight out there, after all, and there aren't any coming storms to drive me off of it."

"When do you think we might be able to get together again?" Itachi asked haltingly.

Kimi shrugged. "I honestly don't know." She thought for a moment. "How about this? When we're free, we can come here. That way, we don't have to go hunting for each other."

There were several holes in that plan that Itachi could see, but he refrained from pointing them out. It could still work.

Reluctantly, Itachi parted ways with the girl. He was not all that confident that she _could_ find her way back to the farm, so he silently shadowed her until she was within sight of the house. Perched in the trees, he watched the glowing homestead for several minutes before starting home himself.

Kimi continued to perplex Itachi. There was no logical reason for him to be so snared by the girl. She was not a shinobi, so it could not be her abilities that intrigued him. There was nothing he could learn from her – or was there?

Itachi halted mid-stride. Learning. Was he learning from this outsider? Since he had met her, Itachi had become somehow more relaxed. Disregarding his slip-up during the training match at which his father appeared, his skills had improved slightly. It was not much, but it was recognizable. Though his mind was not as focused, overall, he was more relaxed – especially around Kimi.

She was teaching him to laugh – to really live life for the sake of living and not merely for the duty of being a shinobi. Her own relaxed nature seemed to be rubbing off on him – but was that a good thing?

Rubbing his eyes, Itachi continued on. It was somehow overwhelming. Perhaps he _was_ thinking too much. Perhaps it was time for a new strategy – none.


	9. IX

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note: **Yay! I've finished another chapter. Wow, I've been moving pretty fast . . . coolness. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter, a bit of mystery . . . drama . . . humor . . . cuteness. I'm really loving writing this story. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much! Here ya go!

IX

Two days and a C-Ranked mission later, Itachi returned to the meadow. Finding it empty, the young shinobi scattered several targets around the clearing and proceeded to train. He moved through target practice with purpose and precision, hitting each wooden bulls-eye. Despite his perfect accuracy, Itachi's mind slid more and more out of focus with each throw.

He leaned over, hands on his knees, as he labored for breath. It made no sense. This sort of exercise never left him straining for air. Why was he so tense? Itachi took a deep breath, straightening his back. It was then that he sensed the presence of someone watching him from the shadows of the tree line.

Itachi paused, focusing on that presence. Was it Kimi? No. He did not think so. There was something different in the air – something a bit more sinister. His hand tightened around the kunai it held as he used his senses to pinpoint the watcher's location. Without warning, he whirled and flung the knife with deadly accuracy.

Birds scattered as metal impaled wood. Itachi scanned the trees with his Sharingan. His first thought fell to a replacement jutsu, but no knife-stuck log tumbled from the trees. Along with that, he had felt no flare of chakra. No jutsu had been performed. So, that meant the person was still in the area.

A shadow passed above Itachi, and he stiffened, eyes flying up to identify the shape. A hawk circled high in the air, feathers rippling in the air currents. Still, though the outline was identifiable, there was something odd about the shape. Before Itachi could put his finger on it, the hawk passed behind a line of clouds and vanished from sight.

"Something wrong?"

Itachi whirled, kunai in hand. Kimi took a half step back, eyes wide. She held her hands out. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I thought you knew I was here."

The young Uchiha lowered his blade, taking a deep breath before turning back in the direction of his seemingly-imaginary watcher. "I felt someone watching me, but there were only birds," he explained. "I was so sure."

Kimi shrugged, walking over to him. "People make mistakes."

"Not me."

The girl cocked her head. "Well, maybe the birds were the ones watching you. Can't the wildlife be curious too?"

Itachi scowled slightly. "This wasn't just an animal. It was intelligent."

"You could tell that?" Kimi asked, blinking in surprise.

He nodded and began to gather up the thrown knifes. Kimi watched him from the center of the clearing, and Itachi tried not to be overly-aware of that fact. He waited for her to speak, but she remained silent, seemingly happy with just watching him.

When he returned to her side, she spoke. "Target practice?"

Itachi bobbed his head. "Yes. You're welcome to watch if you'd like."

Kimi lifted her eyebrows uncertainly. "Uh, should I back up or something?"

He smirked. "No need." Then, before she could react, he leapt into the air, twisting, and threw the knives without hesitation. With hollow _thunks_, the blades hit their marks dead on. As Itachi landed, Kimi laughed softly, clapping her hands together with less enthusiasm than he expected from her.

"Pretty impressive," she said, "but I must say. I expected something a bit more from you, Mister I Make No Mistakes."

Itachi cocked one eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

The girl motioned to his targets. "They're all within your direct line of view. Wouldn't it be more of a challenge – a test of your ability – to hit them if you _can't_ directly see them?" She grinned, and jogged off to pick up a couple of the targets, replacing them behind their respective trees instead of in front of them.

Kimi returned to Itachi, still smiling. "Now try it."

Itachi peered at each location. In order to hit those targets, he would have to redirect the kunai in midair with a second pair of kunai. His accuracy had to be on the mark; otherwise, he'd miss it. The angles needed to be perfect.

Taking a step back, the young Uchiha took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and jumped straight up. In midair, he snapped his eyes back open, activating the blood red Sharingan within them. Kunai hissed through the air. Three heartbeats passed, and Itachi's feet touched back down on the grass. He scowled slightly.

Beside him, Kimi gasped and stumbled back a couple steps. He blinked at her. "What's wrong?"

"Y-your eyes!"

Itachi quickly deactivated his Sharingan, studying the frightened look on Kimi's face. He reached out to her. She flinched when he touched her cheek. "It's alright," he assured her. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"B-b – y-you – what was that?"

"It's called the Sharingan," Itachi explained. "It's my family's kekkei genkai – our bloodline trait. It helps me see things better – faster." He paused for a moment, studying the play of unfamiliar emotions across Kimi's eyes. "I won't use it around you if you don't want me to – if it scares you."

Kimi smiled, but it was obviously forced. "N-no. That's okay. You do need to train after all. Who am I to get in the way of that?" Still, she shuddered as she turned away and started walking toward the edge of the small meadow.

"Where are you going?"

It took Kimi a moment to answer. "To see how good those eyes of yours really are."

Itachi's eyebrows furrowed. What did _that_ mean? The answer came when Kimi peeked behind one of the trees and gave a soft laugh. "Looks like you need some practice."

The young Uchiha jogged over to see what she was looking at. His heart sank when he saw a kunai embedded in the ground several inches away from the wooden target. Kimi bent over and tugged the knife from the dirt. She offered it to Itachi with a smile.

"Practice makes perfect, right?"

Itachi continued to train, throwing the knives with increasing precision while Kimi fetched them back for him. He made a mental note of how she avoided meeting his eyes. The Sharingan must have really scared her.

Kimi cheered him on, though with a slightly lower level of enthusiasm than other days. Several times, she seemed to be lost in thought, but whenever Itachi asked her what was wrong, she would always smile and shake her head. She only really answered him once.

"I know I said that I don't want to be a shinobi," she had stated, "but sometimes it just looks so cool that I wish I was."

Finally, as the sun began to sink into the trees, Kimi gave a loud _whoop_ of celebration, holding up one of the targets victoriously. "Success!" she cried, all but dancing back to Itachi with the wooden circle in hand. A kunai knife was imbedded deep in its read heart.

"You've definitely shown improvement," she said seriously. "I must say. I'm impressed. Most shinobi take weeks or even months to master this technique."

Itachi cocked an eyebrow at her. "Really?"

Kimi met his black eyes for the first time in several hours. She burst out laughing. "I've no clue! I just saw it done a few times back at my village and thought you might want to try it. It looked pretty hard."

Itachi shook his head, giving an exasperated sigh. "What am I going to do with you?"

Kimi blinked wide eyes at him innocently. "Be a gentleman and walk me home?"


	10. X

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note:** I'm really on a writing spree. Wow. I was up 'till about midnight last night because I had idea for two chapters that I didn't want to lose (one of which is over 2,000 words!) . I haven't written so much on one story in one sitting before. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside now, working on yet another chapter. Yay! I should really take some time to work on my Green Rider fic . . . but this one's coming so easily at the moment that I can't let it go. As long as this spurt of inspiration keeps going, I'll be posting a bit more often. Yay! Well, here's the next chapter. Woot! We're in the double digits now! Enjoy!

X

Fall turned to winter then slowly to spring. As time flowed on, Itachi continued to study Kimi during their sporadic meetings. He listened to her talk and laugh, speaking himself from time to time. She seemed so open to him, and he attempted to put on the same face. He remained wary of her, though, unsure of the affect she had on him.

He startled himself from time to time by actually speaking what was on his mind. The fact that he opened up to Kimi like that made him even more uneasy than the fact that she was from another village. She was not a shinobi; she did not use any justu – did not appear to even have any sort of chakra control – yet somehow he got the impression that she was attempting to deceive him.

It was never anything open or obvious. Every now and then, Kimi would merely fall silent and stare thoughtfully into the distance. She might have just been spacing out, but there was a sort of seriousness to the expression on her face that alerted Itachi to trouble. Those bouts never lasted long, though, and she would laugh at herself and continue on with whatever it was she had been doing.

The question that plagued Itachi, though, as he walked through the summer trees did not concern Kimi's behavior. It was focused on his own. What were his intentions concerning Kimi? Why did he seek her out when he had free time? What about this civilian girl drew him to her?

Itachi shook his head as he walked through the forest. It made no sense to him whatsoever. He surveyed the meadow as he strode from the trees. Empty. Itachi sighed, not sure if this was a good or bad thing.

The genin walked smoothly to the center of the small clearing to put down his bag of training gear. As he did, though, the sense of someone watching him returned. Was it the same as last time, all those months ago? He focused on it. It was intelligent, yes, but not quite the same. His hand inched toward his kunai pouch.

"Hey, Itachi! Up here!"

Itachi jerked in surprise. Kimi? He turned and looked up. The young girl was sitting on a tree branch several feet above the ground. She smiled and waved down at him cheerily. Itachi blinked up at her. Kimi was the one he felt this time?

Dropping his stuff, the young Uchiha walked toward the tree. "What are you doing up there?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed. "How did you get up there?"

Kimi laughed. "I climbed of course. What else would you do with a tree?"

He scowled. "Get down from there. You'll fall and hurt yourself."

Giggling, she gave a dismissive flap of one hand. "Don't be such a spoil-sport. I used to do this all the time back home and never fell. I know how to judge a good climbing branch from a bad one. No fear!"

Itachi crossed his arms over his chest. "Why are you climbing the tree anyway?"

Kimi grinned and rose to her feet. "Because it's here, duh," she answered with a laugh. "I wanted to see how high I could get."

"Well, that's high enough. Climb back down. You're not a ninja. If you fall, you could seriously hurt yourself."

Smirking, Kimi climbed to a higher branch. Itachi sighed. Was she trying to make his life miserable? He could not explain it, but watching her up there made his stomach uneasy. Scowling and putting one fist over his stomach, he called up with a warning tone, "Kimi."

Kimi grinned, reaching up for a higher branch. "Seriously, Itachi. You worry too much. I've been doing this forever. I'm not gonna fall." She pulled herself up onto the branch, standing and turning carefully to look down at Itachi. "See? I'm perfectly fine. There were tons of trees where I grew up I know what I'm do–"

A sharp crack split the air, and Kimi froze mid-word, eyes wide. Itachi's breath caught in his throat when he spotted the deep fissure through the branch she was standing on. He took a step toward the tree.

"Kimi, don't move!"

"O-okay," she squeaked, but it was too late.

The branch snapped by the trunk. It took three heartbeats. In the first, Itachi's Sharingan analyzed every speck of the surroundings. He was up the tree in the second. The third thumped in his chest as he snatched Kimi's wrist from mid-air, his feet clinging to the underside of a thick limb with chakra.

The rotten branch shattered against the ground. Kimi grabbed Itachi's wrist in return, swinging her other arm up to wrap her second hand over her first and looking up at him with wide, frantic eyes. "Don't let go!"

"Don't worry," Itachi answered with calm that astounded even himself. "I've got you. Just say still, alright?"

Itachi's mind was racing at an incredible speed, analyzing and processing information as it ran through his head. Kimi wasn't very heavy, so he would easily be able to carry her down, but he had to get her out of this awkward position before doing that.

"Kimi, you have to trust me, alright? I'm going to bring you up, but you have to stay very still."

"O-okay."

Slowly and carefully, Itachi backed up around the outside of the branch, keeping his arm perpendicular to the ground. When he was mostly upright, he bent his elbow, lifting Kimi up so that he could grab her other wrist with his left hand.

She obeyed his actions without need for prompting, releasing that hand's grasp on his wrist so that he could pull her further up. After a few more tedious moments, Kimi was safe in his hold. Itachi leaned against the trunk of the tree as she wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder.

At first, Itachi was unsure what to do, standing there awkwardly with his hands out in front of him. But then he relaxed and allowed his arms to wrap naturally around her, patting her back gently. Soon, her fearful crying subsided.

"Are you okay?" Itachi asked her softly.

"I-I think so, yeah."

He patted her back again. "I'm going to carry you down now, okay?" He did not want to startle her by moving suddenly.

Kimi nodded, and Itachi carefully scooped her into his arms. She hugged his neck, squeezing her eyes closed. For a moment, he just looked at her. Strange. A moment ago, she was fearlessly climbing into the sky, but now she was afraid to look down.

Itachi smoothly jumped down from the branch, landing silently on the grass below. He gently lowered Kimi to the ground. "We're down now. You can open your eyes again."

She blinked up at him. "You saved me," Kimi breathed.

Itachi shrugged one shoulder. "It's not like I could let you be an idiot and kill yourself like that." Kimi winced and he froze. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Kimi shook her head and stood. "No. It's nothing. Sorry for making you worry. That was really stupid of me, hey? I'm really sorry. I should've listened to you in the first place. Then none of this would've ever happened. Sorry."

A small part of Itachi wanted to ream her out for apologizing so much, but he bit his tongue and shrugged instead. "I think that's enough excitement for one day." He picked up his gear. "Come on. I'll walk you home."

Kimi looked up at the sky, not moving as Itachi began to walk away. "Already? But it's not even dinner time yet. We've still got a while to – hey! Wait up!"

She ran down the slight incline after him. Pushing down a smirk, Itachi turned to look at him. His eyes widened when he saw where her feet were headed. "Kimi, look out!"

Kimi's foot landed in the rabbit hole, sending her tumbling to the ground. She gave a sharp cry of pain, curling up and grabbing her ankle. Itachi rushed to her, kneeling down beside her. Thankfully, her ankle was not broken – only twisted painfully.

Itachi sighed. "Today's just not your day, is it?"

Kimi gritted her teeth. "Apparently."

Sighing, Itachi turned his back to her. "Alright, climb on. I'll carry you." _Again. I hope this doesn't become a habit._


	11. XI

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note: **This chapter is actually pretty long compared to most of those I've posted. I'm really happy with how it turned out. You could say that this is a major turning point in Itachi and Kimi's tale. Why? You'll see. Due to the vagueness of Itachi's childhood in the anime/manga, I'm enjoying taking creative liberties in explaining things that are unexplained. One of the major "unexplained" things will come into play much later, but here you see the beginning seed of Itachi's relationship with Shisui. That's all I'll say for now. You'll have to read to find out more. Anyway, here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

XI

Itachi threw caution and secrecy out the window, carrying Kimi to the Uchiha stronghold instead of back to Tadao's farm. The sooner her ankle was healed the better, he told himself, but he could not help but wonder if there were other reasons behind him taking care of her personally. Maybe by introducing her to his family, he was seeking his parents' approval of her. With that, maybe he could see her more often in public instead of keeping her existence a secret from everyone.

Was that his real motive, though? He could only wonder, not really knowing the answer himself.

Thankfully, nobody occupied the main street of the Uchiha Clan complex, allowing Itachi to carry Kimi unnoticed into the place.

Kimi looked around in wonder. "Is this where you live?"

Itachi nodded. "This complex houses our entire clan," he answered softly.

"Why do you have a whole separate place in the village?" she asked in return. "Is your clan really important or something?"

He shrugged beneath her arms. "I guess. That's just the way it's always been."

_Well, not always._ Itachi though softly. There was a time when the clan was not segregated from the rest of the village, but that was before his time. He suspected that there was something else going on behind the scenes, but he was not sure exactly what. _Father will tell me when he thinks I'm ready; I'm sure of it._

Itachi turned up the small walkway to his house. "Well, here we are."

He set her down in the entryway to remove his shoes. Kimi did the same, rubbing her ankle tenderly. Itachi bit his lower lip as he helped Kimi to her feet. It would probably be best not to startle his mother with the girl.

"Mother, I'm home!" he called, supporting Kimi with one arm around her waist and the other holding her arm hooked around his neck. He slowly walked her down the hallway toward the kitchen, Kimi half-limping half-hopping beside him. "Can you get a bag of ice for me, please?"

Mikoto turned from what she was doing at the counter. "You're not hurt are you? Oh! Hello. Who might you be?"

"This is Kimi," Itachi explained, helping the girl into a chair and propping her injured leg on a second seat. "She twisted her ankle in a rabbit hole."

Kimi gave a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry to trouble you, ma'am."

"It's no problem dear," Mikoto said with a warm smile as she prepared an ice pack for Kimi's ankle. "I'm glad to see Itachi's made a friend. So, are you training in the Academy?"

The young girl stiffened slightly. "No, ma'am. I –"

"She's the niece of a local farmer," Itachi cut in, taking the ice from his mother and resting it gently on Kimi's leg.

"Oh," Mikoto replied. "I see. I haven't seen you around here before."

Kimi glanced briefly at Itachi before smiling at his mother. "I just got here recently. My parents are having a hard time back home, so I'm staying with my aunt and uncle until things clear up."

"That's very kind of them."

Kimi was saved from any further questioning by Itachi's little brother, Sasuke. He stole Kimi's attention away from anything else, forcing Mikoto to resume cooking dinner. Kimi was hard-pressed to keep up with the toddler's chatter, but she seemed perfectly at ease with the young boy.

Itachi watched her from across the table as she entertained the child, showing genuine interest in what Sasuke had to say. She even pulled out here flute – which had miraculously remained unbroken in her hip pouch after both falls – to show the boy. After many minutes of begging from Sasuke, Kimi played a simple little lullaby for him, the notes flowing more confidently from the instrument than the first time Itachi had heard her play.

Itachi looked up and out the window after her song came to an end. The sun was beginning to set. He rose to his feet and said, "I should get you home. How's the ankle?"

Kimi lifted the bag of mostly-melted ice off of her ankle, flexing her foot. "A lot better, thank you." She started to stand up, but Mikoto put her hand on the girl's shoulder, keeping her in place.

"You're not going anywhere, young lady."

Kimi looked up at her, puzzled. "But –"

Mikoto turned to Itachi. "Set the table for me, please, Itachi. Make sure you add a place for Kimi."

Blushing, Kimi shook her head. "Oh, no. I couldn't impose upon you like this." She motioned to her foot. "You've already helped me enough."

"I insist," Mikoto stated with a warm smile.

The sound of a door opening came from the front of the house. Mikoto wiped her hands on a towel and walked out of the kitchen to greet her husband. Itachi watched her go before glancing at Kimi. The girl had her hands folded tightly in her lap, eyes staring down at the table.

"You alright?" Itachi asked her.

She nodded and gave a smile that seemed somewhat forced. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Itachi could not say anything else, for his father walked into the room at that moment, eyes appraising Kimi a bit too harshly for Itachi's taste. "Good evening, Father," Itachi stated.

Kimi looked up from her empty plate and Fugaku's expression became instantly open and kind. "Good evening, Itachi. How did training go today?"

"Fine."

Fugaku turned his attention back to their guest. "You must be Kimi. My wife told me you would be joining us for dinner. Welcome. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"T-thank you for having me, sir," Kimi managed with a small smile.

Itachi studied her expression. This was strange; she did not seem to be her normal energetic self anymore. He glanced at his father. Was it Fugaku that was making her nervous? Why would that be, though?

The young Uchiha puzzled over this as the meal progressed, watching Kimi and his father through the corners of his eyes. Kimi returned to her normal smiling self. Only the fact that Itachi had gotten to know her alerted him to the fact that she was extremely nervous – scared even. But why? Was Fugaku that imposing?

_No. It's because he's so obviously a shinobi, _Itachi thought to himself. He recalled something Kimi had said to him a while back. _You're not like most shinobi . . . I feel safe with you. _Was that it? Was Kimi afraid of shinobi? She had told Tadao that she did not have any parents. Could they have been killed by ninja?

It made sense. Kimi was afraid of shinobi. _But she's not afraid of me._ That thought brought a strangely warm feeling into Itachi's chest.

After dinner, Itachi insisted that he should get Kimi home. It was getting dark, after all. Really, though, he wanted to get her away from his father, especially if she was really afraid of shinobi, as Itachi theorized. Yet, as he walked out the door with her, Fugaku called him back.

"Itachi, I need to speak with you for a moment before you go."

Leaving Kimi to wait for him outside with an energetic Sasuke, Itachi walked back inside. His father motioned him into the living room. "Take a seat."

Puzzled slightly, but keeping the emotion from his face, Itachi knelt down on a cushion. Mikoto and Fugaku sat across from him. Fugaku eyed his son carefully before speaking.

"I've been following your progress lately, Itachi, and I'm impressed with how much you've improved over the past few months."

Itachi stared at him blankly in return, not showing any emotion on his face. Where was he going with this? Why did he call him in here now? Could it not wait for later? What was so important about Itachi's progress that his father felt he should delay Kimi getting home?

"As you know, the safety and stability of the clan goes above everything else," Fugaku continued. "In that sense, you're strength and progress in training is of great concern to the clan. You are our future, Itachi. That is why you must never see this Kimi girl again."

Itachi blinked, but instantly clamped down on his emotions before any sort of reaction could reach his face. _What?!_ Angry questions and arguments ran circles in his head, but he kept a blank mask over his face and eyes as he stared across the room at his father.

Fugaku watched Itachi for a moment, searching for any sort of reaction to his words. He scowled when he found none. "We cannot afford to have you distracted at such a crucial point in time. You will be attending the Chuunin exams this fall, and there is no room for error. You cannot slack off even the slightest bit in your training. Do you understand?"

The boy made no reply, merely staring flatly at his father. There were so many things he wanted to say, but he bit his tongue. None were appropriate in the least.

"Very well," Fugaku stated. "You may escort her home tonight, but after that, you are never to see her again. You're dismissed."

Itachi rose to his feet and turned to walk out. He paused in the doorway. Should he tell his father how long he had known Kimi? Should he tell him that his improvement has grown out of a result of knowing the girl? How would his father take such information? Was that even factual?

"Is there something you want to say, Itachi?" Fugaku asked.

Itachi did not even look back at his father. He strode out of the room, slipped on his shoes, and left the house.

Kimi looked up when he emerged, her smile faltering when she saw the blank expression on his face. "Itachi?"

He did not stop walking. "Come," he said as he passed her.

After saying a quick goodbye to Sasuke, Kimi ran to catch up with Itachi. "What's wrong?" she asked, concern layering her voice.

Itachi made no reply, his feet carrying him quickly away from the Uchiha complex and toward Tadao's farm. Kimi fell in silently behind him, making no other attempt at conversation. Itachi's anger faltered for a moment. Had he frightened her? He almost frowned and spoke, but he sensed someone following them, bit back his words, and kept walking.

When they came into sight of Tadao's house, Itachi stopped suddenly. Kimi almost bumped into him, giving a cry of surprise. "A little warning next time?" she asked with a slight laugh.

"There won't be a next time," Itachi stated in return.

"W-what?"

Itachi turned to face her, unable to keep the pain out of his eyes as he elaborated, "We can't see each other ever again. I'm sorry, Kimi, but I can't be distracted from – becoming a shinobi."

Kimi stared into his eyes for several moments before looking down. "I see." She walked past him. "I'll still play for you," she said softly as she drew even with him. "Whether or not you listen is up to you. Goodbye, Itachi."

Itachi did not watch her as she walked to the house, but somehow he knew that she did not look back. He started walking back home himself. A few minutes later, someone joined him on the road – Shisui Uchiha.

Shisui gave him a small smile. "Sorry, Itachi, but I guess it's for the best, right?"

"Father sent you to make sure I told her."

The other Uchiha blinked in surprise at Itachi's dark and emotionless tone. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Itachi grunted and kept walking, his mind wandering back to what Kimi had said. _I'll still play for you. Whether or not you listen is up to you._ What did that mean? He scowled inwardly. It was just like her to speak in riddles when it seemed like she had something important to say.

His heart skipped a beat. She had spoken in riddles when she had something important to say. Had she known that Shisui was following and listening? He glanced sideways at his chaperone. No. That could not be it. Kimi was not a ninja, after all.


	12. XII

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note:** Interesting theories, everyone, but you'll have to keep reading to see how right or wrong you are. (dramatic music) You get a bit more Shisui in this chapter. Yay! And don't worry too much, Kimi's not totally gone yet. There's always a loophole somewhere, and if there isn't . . . then I guess you just have to break the rules. haha Well, I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

XII

For the next few weeks, wherever Itachi went, so did Shisui. At first, Itachi resented the young man's constant presence at his side, but he soon became accustomed to having him around. Itachi did not open up as much to Shisui as he had to Kimi, but the two became closer than he ever was with anyone else other than the golden-haired enigma. He began to look up to the older Uchiha, not because of his abilities, but because Shisui seemed to understand.

Shisui did not force the Uchiha expectations on Itachi. He seemed perfectly content with allowing Itachi to do whatever he wanted to – train however he wanted to – as long as Kimi was not involved. He did not demand perfection out of the genin; he only provided encouragement and support, making Itachi feel a bit more comfortable.

Still, though, Itachi could not forget the real reason Shisui accompanied him everywhere. There was no way he could forget that.

"So, how're you going to train today, Itachi?" Shisui asked him as they moved through the trees toward one of the training grounds. Itachi said nothing, and the other man pressed on. "Are you going to be deflecting kunai again? I'm impressed you can do that so well already." He laughed. "I'm still having trouble with it."

Itachi stared straight ahead as he walked. He could not bring himself to tell Shisui that it was Kimi that suggested that training first. His sensei had not even mentioned it before then. It was only when Itachi started using that skill that Hiashi Hyuga taught it to the other boys. But, would Shisui believe him? What would he think?

Shisui halted suddenly, tilting his head to one side. Itachi stopped and looked back at him. "What is it, Shisui?"

The older Uchiha's eyebrows furrowed. "Do you hear that?"

Itachi listened. After a moment, he noticed two very distinct things. One – there were no birds singing, which was odd during this time of year. Two – someone was playing a flute nearby. Itachi's heart skipped a beat. Could it be Kimi?

_I'll still play for you. Whether or not you listen is up to you._

Shisui turns toward the source of the music. "Come on, Itachi. Let's check it out."

The older shinobi had barely taken two steps before Itachi stated, "No."

Turning back to him, Shisui lifted his eyebrows. "What? Why not?" Itachi merely stared at him. Shrugging, Shisui vanished into the trees.

Itachi did not move, watching the place where his companion had vanished from sight. He listened to the music floating in the still air. It was soft and gentle – a lullaby of sorts. After a moment, he recognized the tune – oh, what was it called? _By the Light of the Moon._

He was able to listen for a few moments more before Shisui returned, looking somewhat confused and impressed. "You knew it was her," the older boy stated. "That's why you wouldn't go with me."

Itachi turned away and started walking in a different direction. "Let's find somewhere else to train."

Shisui glanced back in Kimi's direction before shrugging and following Itachi. "I must say, Itachi. I'm impressed. You're actually following your father's orders. You could've just played dumb and caught a glimpse of her just now, but you kept your distance."

"Yeah? So?" What business of Shisui's was it if Itachi chose to follow his father's orders or not? What did he care? It was not as if he would be affected by any of this. It was none of his business! He should just –

Itachi caught himself as he felt his fists tightening. What was he thinking? Of course it was Shisui's business. They were both Uchiha. What affected any one of the clan affected all of the clan. That was part of what made them a clan.

His frustration and anger ebbed and flowed like the tide, but Itachi effectively kept it off of his face. What did Shisui know? He was just looking out for the good of the clan. It was none of their business, though, who he chose to like – to be with! The future of the clan depended on the stability of its family ties; they could not safely let in an outsider.

The training went by in a blur of actions and emotions, the former shown openly and the later kept bottled inside. As the pair headed home, confusion circled in Itachi's head. Why was he so angry – flustered? He had never felt this way before. It unsettled him.

Itachi moved through dinner in silence, pondering the changes he could feel moving through his head – his chest. What were they? What did they mean?

He lay awake in the dark of the night, unable to silence his running thoughts in order to sleep. Grunting in annoyance, he rolled over and stared out his window at the high moon shining silver into his room. He blinked several times at the light-reflecting orb before sitting up straight in his bed.

_By the Light of the Moon._ That was the song Kimi had been playing. For some reason, that seemed incredibly important now. Her words echoed back into the front of his mind from his memory. _I'll still play for you. Whether or not you listen is up to you._

Itachi could not tear his eyes off of the moon hovering in the sky. Could there be some importance to the song she had been playing – a lullaby woven in broad daylight? It seemed somehow out of place – wrong – yet so important and significant.

Before he knew what he was doing, Itachi threw back the covers and jumped out of bed, changing quickly into day clothes and slipping silently out of the sleeping house. He made it out of the complex without incident. No one detected his movements. No one stirred from their slumber. He was a shadow moving within shadows.

Itachi slowed as he neared what he had come to think of as "their meadow" – his usual meeting place with Kimi. Doubt crept into his mind. What if he was overanalyzing everything again? What if the song she had been playing meant nothing? His chest tightened. The small field would be empty – devoid of anything familiar and comforting. He had made a mistake.

However, as Itachi stepped from the trees, a slim figure, moonlight shining silver from her hair, turned and smiled at him. "You came," Kimi stated, pleasure and joy layering her voice.

Itachi slowly approached her, cautious, as if she were a dream that would vanish if he moved to quickly – a bird easily startled into flight. She smiled and laughed, the sound soothing the ache that had grown in Itachi's chest.

"You look scared for some reason." Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "You aren't afraid of the dark, are you, Mr. Big Bad Shinobi?"

Itachi found himself smiling by the time he reached her. "Not at all. You?"

Kimi returned his grin. "Only when I'm alone." She stated this almost flippantly, as if it was a trivial fact – as if it never happened.

She was holding the wooden flute in her hands. Itachi glanced down at it. "By the Light of the Moon," he whispered. "Good thing I've heard it before."

"I thought you didn't have time for music."

Itachi shrugged one shoulder.

Giggling, Kimi lifted her head to gaze up at the star-filled sky. "Was it your father?" she asked suddenly. "Was he the reason you said you couldn't see me anymore?"

Feeling a slight bubble of anger in his chest, Itachi nodded. "Yeah."

Kimi did not seem fazed by this fact. "It's because I'm not a shinobi. I'm not worthy to be your friend."

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "I don't think so."

"But he does."

"I don't care what he thinks," Itachi snapped suddenly, startling both of them.

Kimi lowered her head to look at him with a soft smile. "Still, he's your father. You should mind him, Itachi."

"You _want_ me to stay away from you?" Itachi asked incredulously.

The girl shook her head. "Not at all, but in the long run, it might be best."

"How do you figure that?" Itachi did not like how she was being suddenly so serious. He did not like it one bit. What brought this on?

"I'm going to be leaving eventually, Itachi. You and I both know that. I don't want you to be hurt when I do." She reached out to touch his arm.

Though Itachi usually shied away from such contact, he allowed it, peering into her eyes. "I don't care. I don't want to stay away. I actually don't think I could if I even wanted to."

Kimi stared at him, her smile slowly widening again. "I think," she said carefully, "that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."

"It's true," Itachi mumbled, puzzling over that fact. It _was_ true, he realized, and this puzzled him all the more. "I'm going to be taking the Chuunin Exams soon," he blurted out suddenly. "Will you at least be here for them?"

She nodded. "Of course. I don't have any plans to leave before year's end. I'll be here."

"Good."

**Author's Note 2:** I don't know if there's an actual song entitled _By the Light of the Moon_, but there is a book called such by Dean Koontz. I like the book (and the title) and I figured the phrase would make a good title for a little lullaby. Something like "Dewdrops" by Kajiura Yuki played with a wood flute instead of a violin.


	13. XIII

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note: **A bit more drama in this one. We're almost to the first major time skip -- only one more chapter! Woot! When that comes, I'll post the first part of the Juusanbi soundtrack on my profile. The song for this point and time is _Changes_ by 3 Doors Down. When I post the soundtrack, I'll give basic chapters that they go along with. Some will be more apparent than others, but I'll do it anyway. I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Cheers!

XIII

The first two parts of the Chuunin exams went by without a hitch for Itachi. The other members of his squad struggled some with the second task, but with his help, they were the first squad to arrive at the central building with both scrolls. Only a couple other squads joined them later on – one from the Cloud Village and another from some Village Hidden in the Mountains that Itachi had never encountered before.

Izumo and Kotetsu were practically beside themselves with excitement, and after the successful squads were briefed on their next task, the pair immediately declared plans to celebrate their achievement.

Almost as an afterthought – or a mere courtesy – Isumo glanced back at Itachi as the boys left the building. "You want to join us, Itachi?"

When Itachi nodded and said, "Sure," his squad mates merely fell over in surprise. This was definitely a first for Itachi. Though he kept his face blank, the young Uchiha was chuckling inwardly to himself. Perhaps Kimi was rubbing off on him.

Whether this was true or not, Itachi was not entirely sure. That did not matter to him, though. He actually thought it might be a good thing. As he was learning, ties to people might actually prove to strengthen him instead of weaken him, as his father wished to think.

At the thought of his father, Itachi wondered faintly how the man would react to hearing about him celebrating with his squad mates. Would Fugaku approve or would he demand that such an event never occur again as he did with Kimi? Perhaps it was time for another exercise to test how far he could push his father – what exactly was tolerable. Perhaps it was time for a little rebellion.

Itachi smirked at the thought, earning startled looks from his teammates. He immediately suppressed the action, returning his face to a blank mask. This brought up a contrasting train of thought.

What _was_ he thinking? Itachi could not defy his father like that! Such an action could be deemed treacherous and be much more trouble than it was worth. He should not be even considering testing the clan in such a way. It was bad enough that he had begun sneaking out at night to meet with Kimi against his father's direct orders. If anyone found out about that, who knew what Fugaku would do?

If he upset his father even the least bit by accompanying Izumo and Kotetsu to such a childish and pointless event, Fugaku might have Itachi put under surveillance again. Itachi had only recently been allowed to go off alone again – without Shisui's mandatory presence. He could not afford being watched again. Kimi would surely be found out.

Itachi stopped walking. "On second thought," he said flatly, "I should be getting home. My parents will want to know how things turned out and will probably want to celebrate themselves."

"Oh," Kotetsu responded softly. "Right. Okay, then."

Izumo frowned slightly. "Well, I guess we'll see you around, Itachi."

Itachi nodded to them, turned, and walked away. As he made his way back home, his mind actively analyzed that strange slip in thought and expression. Where had it come from? Perhaps it could be attributed to adolescence, but Itachi was only ten years old, after all. Then again, he always did act older than his actual age. Was this merely the rebellious period of a typical teenager? He was not even a teenager! What was it, then?

He felt the sudden urge to punch something, but fought it down. He needed to stay calm. There was nothing wrong. It was merely the stress of the Chuunin Exams, nothing more. It was to be expected, really, since he was the youngest genin ever to take the exam. Of course he would be exhibiting some sign of fried nerves.

But he was Itachi Uchiha. He did not feel such things . . . right?

His family showered him with praise when he returned home, but to Itachi, night could not come fast enough. He could not stand all the attention, especially the expectations carried along with them. Itachi would become the youngest chuunin ever. Itachi was the pride of the clan. Itachi would lead them into a bright future.

Itachi was honestly sick and tired of it. He longed for the words of someone entirely different – words that did not carry any other implications. Still, the boy put on a strong face for his clan, not wanting to raise any sort of suspicion among them. After all, tonight he would be breaking his father's law – again.

As Itachi approached their regular meeting place, he heard the sound of Kimi's flute weaving though the trees. Strange. She usually did not play at night, choosing instead to wait for him in silence, never knowing whether or not he could actually come. Itachi slowed, listening to the soft and mournful melody – more a lament than a lullaby.

He slowly moved from the trees to her side, remaining silent so as not to interrupt her playing. When the sorrow-filled tune came to an end, Kimi lowered the flute to her lap. She did not look up to meet his eyes.

"How did it go?" she asked hesitantly, when their silence stretched onward.

Itachi seated himself in front of her. "Perfectly fine. There are only three squads left – one from the Cloud Village, one from the Mountain Village, and mine."

"I see." She smiled, finally looking up at him. "Congratulations, Itachi."

The boy shook his head. "It's not over yet. We have a month more of training before the final stage of the exam. Only after that will it be over."

"I'm sure you'll do fine."

Itachi studied Kimi closely. She met his gaze for a moment, but then shifted uncomfortably and looked away. The young Uchiha narrowed his eyes slightly. Something was wrong. "What's bothering you?" he questioned her softly.

Kimi, unable to meet his eyes again, looked up at the stars. "I – I'm going to be leaving soon."

Itachi froze. This was not what he expected. Had she not told him only a few months earlier that she would be staying at least until the end of the year? Slowly, he asked, "How soon?"

She bit her lower lip. "Very – within the next couple of weeks."

"What? Why?"

"I think I'm wearing out my welcome," Kimi replied carefully. "It's time for me to move on."

Itachi stared at her. "Wearing out your welcome?" he echoed. "That's absurd! Is it something Tadao said? Is he kicking you out or something?"

Kimi shook her head, giving a soft laugh. "No, it's nothing like that."

The boy was on his feet now. "Then why? Why do you have to leave, Kimi?"

She was silent for a moment, her hands tightening around the shaft of the flute. "I told you when we first met that it was my dream to see the world. I still have that dream, Itachi, and the longer I stay here the harder it is for me to leave. If I don't go now, then I'll never be able to."

"Then don't go. You can stay here. Konoha can be your home, Kimi."

Kimi gave a sad smile. "Even if I do stay, we can't be together, Itachi. Not like this."

Itachi's mind was racing overtime. There had to be a way to stop her. There had to be some way around this. "You could talk to the Hokage," he said quickly. "If you become a member of the village, then maybe you can go to the Academy. You're not too old. You can pick up from wherever your village dropped you. If you become a shinobi, then maybe – maybe –" His voice trailed off as Kimi started shaking her head.

"It wouldn't work, Itachi. No matter what I do, I doubt your father would ever be able to accept me."

"Then at least stay for the final stage of the Chuunin Exams," Itachi blurted. "Stay for the tournament. Come and watch me." Kimi, startled, met his eyes again. "If you're there – if I'm fighting for you – I know I can win. I know I can pass."

"You'll pass whether I'm there or not," Kimi said warmly. "You definitely have the skill."

Itachi dropped to his knees so they were eye level again. "But you'll give me a real reason to pass – not because it's what my father wants or what the clan wants, but because it's what I want. I'll do it for you. I'll win for you."

Kimi was taken aback. "Itachi."

He put his hands over hers. "Please, Kimi. Stay at least until then."

She closed her eyes and dropped her head. For a moment, Itachi expected her to refuse, to shake her head and turn him down. Instead, a small smile played across her lips.

"Okay."


	14. XIV

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note: **Well, here's chapter 14, the last chapter for Part 1 of this fic. I hope you all have enjoyed Itachi's childhood, 'cause when we return to him in the next chapter, he'll be muchly grown up and any bit of childhood innocence will probably be loooong gone. So here's chapter 14! As promised, I'm adding the soundtrack for Part 1 to my profile. Feel free to look up the songs listed. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

XIV

No emotion touched Itachi Uchiha's face. There was no sign of his concern – his frustration – his slight touch of anger – as he neatly dodged the relentless attacks of his opponent. No. To reveal his emotions in battle would be folly – would go against the Shinobi Code of Conduct. Emotions would do him no good on the battlefield.

As he smoothly evaded the genin's assault, dodging and dancing easily out of the boy's reach, Itachi cast a glance back up at the crowd – the source of his agitation. As before, Kimi was not there. Had she lied to him and left the village already? He fought back the urge to scowl as the shinobi from the Mountain Village lunged toward him again, hands flashing though a series of signs.

Itachi gave a small sigh. His opponent's taijutsu was impressive, and now he was reverting to ninjutsu as well. Though he was not much of a challenge for Itachi, at least the boy was trying. _What was his name again? Ah, yes. Koji._

The earth beneath Itachi's feet shifted and buckled, stone spikes shooting up out of the ground – the result of Koji's jutsu. Even with his Sharingan deactivated, though, Itachi easily maneuvered out of the way of this attack, coming to stand on the top of one of the spikes. He stood perfectly balanced on one foot, the other tucked behind his heel.

Growling, Koji attacked again, kunai in hand. Metal met metal with a sharp clang, and Itachi flipped his opponent over his head, throwing him across the arena with surprising strength for a boy his age. As Koji rolled and jumped back to his feet, a winged shadow passed over the two boys. Itachi initially ignored it, but when Koji glanced up with an odd expression on his face – was that recognition? – Itachi followed his gaze.

A hawk-shaped silhouette hovered high above the arena, wings spread wide to catch the heat rising from the stone. Koji followed the bird's path with his eyes, puzzling Itachi slightly. Why would it draw his attention so completely? As the hawk circled out of sight, movement on one of the high balconies behind which the bird had vanished caught Itachi's eye – the flutter of a cloak in the wind.

Itachi's heart rose when he recognized the figure looking down at him. Despite the hat and travelling cloak she wore, he knew instantly who the girl was. Kimi had kept her promise after all.

Koji's eyes, when he returned them to Itachi, seemed somehow troubled, though he shook whatever bothered him off and returned to an offensive stance. Itachi likewise flipped a second kunai into his hands. Now that he knew Kimi was in fact watching him, he would not hold back any longer. He had studied Koji's movements enough to see his weak points as clearly as the nose on his face. This match would end quickly.

And end quickly it did. Within minutes, Koji lay unconscious at Itachi's feet. Itachi twirled the kunai through his fingers before replacing them in his pockets. He was deaf to the roars of the crowd; there was only one voice of approval he wanted to hear. Itachi glanced back up at the balcony only to find it empty.

The young Uchiha barely heard the Hokage's speech about deliberating over the events and performances of the day and announcing the new chuunin later in the week. He only wanted to get out of there, find Kimi, and speak to her one last time before she was gone forever. Itachi did not care if his father found out about it this time; this was something he _had_ to do.

As he exited the arena, he deftly replaced himself with a shadow clone when no one was looking and escaped to find Kimi. No one would notice he was gone, and when he re-merged with his clone, he would know everything the clone had learned during their time apart. All he needed to worry about now was finding the girl.

He raced through the trees surrounding the main streets, searching for any sign of her. Would she really leave without saying goodbye? He doubted that, but a small part of him still wondered. As this thought passed through his head, the shrill cry of a hawk sounded above his head. Itachi glanced up. Was that the same hawk from the arena? It seemed oddly familiar; that much was certain.

On a whim, Itachi altered his direction, following the path of the hawk. He soon came across a bend in the road leading toward the village gates. His feet touched dirt and he glanced down the path, heart leaping in his chest.

"Kimi!" The girl stopped, turned, and smiled softly at Itachi as he jogged to catch up with her. "Were you really going to leave without saying goodbye?" Itachi asked when he reached her.

Kimi's smile did not falter. "I thought you would be busy with your family after the match," she stated lightly. "And I wanted to get on the road before the rest of the crowd was rushing out as well. Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

Itachi shook his head. "No, it's alright. I understand. I just –" He glanced at the trees, avoiding her eyes. "I thought you didn't come," he admitted softly. "I didn't see you until the very end, and I though you hadn't come."

"I made a promise," Kimi said, grinning. "I always keep my promises."

The boy nodded. "Sorry I didn't believe you."

She giggled. "It's alright. Totally understandable."

"Still," Itachi continued. "We're friends. I never should have doubted you like that." He gave her a small, apologetic smile. "Sorry."

Kimi's grin only widened. "If you insist, I forgive you. That's what friends do, right?" She giggled. "I'm going to miss seeing you, Itachi. You're the first real friend I've ever had."

Itachi wanted to say "Me too," but he thought better of it, glancing behind her instead. "Will I ever see you again? Are you ever going to come back to Konoha?"

She nodded. "We'll see each other again. You can count on it."

"How do you know?" Itachi asked, finally meeting her eyes. "Something might happen."

Kimi fell silent for a moment, a thoughtful look taking over her face. She chewed on her lower lip and then grinned. Before Itachi could react to her movement, she stepped closer to him and gave him a soft peck on the lips. He blinked in surprise when she stepped back, smiling.

Itachi lifted a hand to his lips. "Wha--?"

She winked at him. "I just stole your first kiss. Now we have to see each other again so you can take it back." She giggled lightly. "I'll be looking forward to it." Kimi started to back up slowly, her eyes twinkling even in the shade of the kasa. "Until we meet again, Itachi Uchiha."

With that, Kimi turned and continued on her way. Itachi did not move, standing and watching her until she was out of sight. His lips tingled slightly, but it was not unpleasant. He found that he was smiling in spite of the sorrow of losing her.

"Until we meet again," Itachi whispered, turning and starting the slow walk back to where his shadow clone was handling what was surely a mountain of praise and congratulations. He did not care about all of that anymore, though. His thoughts were turned toward the future – to when he and Kimi were destined to meet again.

**Part I -- End**


	15. XV Interlude

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note: **Truthfully, this chapter -- this little interlude -- was not a part of my original plan for the story. It just popped into my head, and it seemed rather important, so I've inserted it here. Call it a bit of foreshadowing if you will -- something for you to chew on while you wait for Part II to begin. Dreams can be so fun to use in this manner. So open and ambiguous to interpretation. I feel evil now for some reason. (dark chuckle) Well, anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

**To hard-bitten confinement: **Yes, I did think of that before I started writing this, but for some reason, it didn't seem to fit. I couldn't get one of Fugaku's comments about Itachi out of my head -- something about Itachi being so distant from_ everyone_ in the village, including Fugaku himself -- how even his father couldn't read his expressions or thoughts or even understand him. Thinking this, I figured that perhaps that "lover" was someone from outside the clan -- someone he had to kill later during the "hell" that his life had become. Due to the nature of his life after the Clan massacre, I figured he wouldn't have fallen in love during that period, so he must have met the girl earlier on. If Fugaku didn't have any knowledge of his relationship with her, that must have meant that she wasn't from the village. Thus, Kimi was born. Does that make any sense? I know the logic's kinda broken . . . thanks for your input! I hope you keep reading!

**Interlude**

XV

The sun blazed overhead, heating up the autumn day, but that did not lessen the excited buzz that filled the air of Konoha. Itachi Uchiha had won the Chuunin Exam tournament. Surely, the Hokage would name him a chuunin, and he would become the youngest shinobi in Konoha history to receive such a rank! Perhaps in all of history!

The boy in question, however, did not share in the people's excitement, though he accepted their praises and congratulations nonetheless. Little did they know, however, that the child receiving exuberant pats on the back and tight-fisted handshakes was not the true Itachi Uchiha. It was nothing more than a shadow clone. The real boy was quite a distance away, bidding a close friend farewell.

As the Itachi clone was bustled through the crowd of congratulators, a hushed conversation reached his ears from the shadows of one of the arena's pillars. He took no real note of the words spoken, focused instead on pleasing those around him. Still, upon being heard, they were stored away in some small part of his mind, not to be remembered until years later.

"I know what I saw, sensei," the first voice insisted – the voice of Itachi's final opponent in the tournament, Koji. "It was one of those hawks – _her_ hawks."

"You can't be certain, Koji. There are many hawks in this area. Konoha uses them as messengers, after all. It could have been one of theirs."

The genin growled softly, stubbornly. "I could see the vest in the silhouette. I'd recognize it anywhere. She's _here._"

"Think about this for a moment, Koji," the boy's sensei stated flatly. "This is Konoha – one of the great shinobi villages – not some back-root town of blind and dumb mercenaries. We sent a report here when she first abandoned the village. If she was here, they would have captured her and turned her in."

"But sensei, what if they didn't? What if –?"

The jounin cut him off. "Are you suggesting that Konoha is harboring a known criminal? The report marked her as a murderer and a traitor. They wouldn't just let her waltz around freely in their village. They aren't that careless or naïve."

"But –"

"Drop it, Koji. Thinking about her will do you no good. There was a reason why the Council of Elders decided as they did. You can't –"

At that point, Itachi was tugged deeper into the crowd by his squad mates, Kotetsu shouting something about pictures. The overheard argument between student and teacher was forgotten in the blur of the afternoon.

Three years later, Itachi Uchiha opened his eyes, awoken inexplicably from a sound sleep. He stared up at the dark ceiling for several minutes before sitting up. Why would memories of that day be plaguing his sleep now? His eyes fell on the only plausible reason; a hawk-shaped ANBU mask sat on his desk, seeming to stare at him through the night gloom.

He stared at the pale object for a while, rolling the long-ago spoken words through his mind. What sense was there in that talk of hawks and traitors? Why would it return to him now of all nights, a fuzzy memory picked up by one of his shadow clones?

Itachi yawned and sighed, shaking his head and lying back down. It made no sense. Then again, it was just a dream. There was no telling whether or not the event had actually happened. Perhaps it did happen, but his own thoughts distorted the words. _A murderer and a traitor._ It was possible, considering the events soon to come.

The Uchiha prodigy relaxed into his pillows, closing his eyes and returning gratefully to sleep. This was not a night to be kept up with pointless thoughts. He would need his rest to prepare for tomorrow.

This time, he dreamed of a solitary mirror standing in darkness – of ancient ruins and a giant tree – of his golden-haired enigma watching him from the shadows of the forest. Kimi smiled at him, but it was not her normal joyful grin or sly smirk. Her eyes did not dance with merriment or mischief. That small smile she gave him was sad in a way; those deep eyes held something akin to pity.

With a jolt, he realized what that odd expression meant. She _knew._ She knew everything – the orders he had been given – the task he would soon carry out. He could not tear his eyes from those indigo pools.

Kimi turned, melting into the shadows, and of course, Itachi gave chase. He had to know. He had to know what she knew – how she knew! He gave chase, but she remained ever out of his reach – until that moment that he knew deep in his heart would come as it came before.

Itachi awoke suddenly in a sweat, jerking upright and gasping. The sight of her dead eyes lingered in his – her blood on his hands – his father gazing down at them. Those harsh words, spoken with an ice-cold voice, rang in his ears.

_"You have a mission, Itachi. We cannot afford for you to be distracted."_

Once again, Itachi's eyes fell on the ANBU mask before him. His fingers dug into the sheets as his hands balled into fists. His stomach twisted sickeningly. There would be no more sleep for Itachi Uchiha this night.


	16. XVI

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note:** So now we move on to Part II. Yay! I hope you all enjoyed the little Interlude. I can tell it raised some questions . . . evil laugh All will be made clear soon enough . . . anyway, Part II pics up three years after the Interlude. That means it's been about six years since Kimi left Konoha. Now things will _really_ get interesting . . . I hope you all enjoy!

**Part II: The Mirror**

XVI

Three Years Later . . .

Itachi stood behind his partner, shimmering slightly in the dim light. The blue-skinned man, Kisame, was speaking to the Leader of the Akatsuki, a group of rogue ninja that Itachi had joined several years ago.

Pein, the Leader, shimmered similarly to his two subordinates, his features hidden in the multi-colored light of his astral projection as he listened passively to the shark-man's report. Though the information was common knowledge, and the results of their previous mission had no real weight on the future actions of the organization, Pein insisted on debriefing the pair before sending them off on another assignment.

Due to the trivial nature of the discussion, Itachi allowed his mind to refrain from hanging on every word spoken. Instead he complained mentally and pointlessly to himself. Complaining did not do him any good, and the point did not matter very much in the long run. Itachi's and Kisame's physical bodies rested not very far away. It would have taken them only a few minutes to reach this spot on foot, so why why _why_ did Pein require them to be present only as astral projections? Was that not a waste of chakra?

Still, considering their enormous chakra reserves, the fact did not matter very much in the long run. Complaining was only a waste of time – which was exactly what Itachi wanted at the moment – to waste time.

A sound touched Itachi's ear, drawing his last bit of attention away from Kisame's words. He turned his head slightly toward the doorway of this particular establishment. There were several small complexes scattered throughout the lands that served as meeting places and recovery areas for the Akatsuki members and those who might work under them. They all were well-hidden and their locations were well-kept secrets. Now, somebody approached. Was it someone with Akatsuki affiliations, or was it possible that someone else could have stumbled across the base?

The doors swung open with no knock or warning of any other kind, and another Akatsuki team sauntered in – Deidara and Sasori – dragging along a third figure. Though the person's build was shrouded by a cloak, she was definitely female judging by the voice protesting rather loudly.

"Honestly!" she cried. "I got lost! I swear! I have no idea where I am!"

Kisame stopped talking as the Leader's attention was drawn to the new arrivals. Something in the woman's voice sounded somehow familiar to Itachi, but he could not put his finger on exactly what.

"You don't have to drag me! I can walk perfectly fine on my own. Ow! Something bit me! Was that your – ah! You have _mouths_ in your _hands!_" The woman jerked away from a smirking Deidara, only to stumble into Sasori. The puppet-man pushed her to the ground in front of Pein.

"We found her wandering through the forest outside," Diedara explained. "What do you want us to do with her, yeah?"

Pein stared down at the woman, who seemed to shrink under his gaze, before turning his attention back to Kisame. Itachi did not hear what orders he gave the ex-Swordsman of the Mist. His eyes were locked on the intruder, and he was saying a small, silent prayer of thanks that the astral projections smothered any of his identifiable features, prohibiting her from recognizing him – though _he_ certainly recognized _her._

His mind raced in circles. As a mere projection, he would be powerless to do anything about whatever their Leader decided was her sentence. He would need to be there in person.

As soon as he heard Pein dismiss them, Itachi discontinued the jutsu. His body was moving before his mind could completely reorient himself to his surroundings. He barely noted Kisame calling after him as he broke into a head-on sprint through the trees. Branches raced by beneath his feet as he leapt smoothly and speedily from one to the next. He could waste no time; he needed to be there _now!_

Later than he wanted, the complex entrance appeared before him. Itachi barely slowed, rushing to the doors and slinging them open with no preamble. He strode into to the room, greeted by the startled looks of his fellow Akatsuki members.

Sasori peered at him. "Weren't you just here?"

Itachi shot him a sharp and silencing look as he moved past, slower now that he was sure the woman was unhurt. He circled to her front, studying her crouched and shuddering form. When she spotted his feet stopping in front of her, she hunched even closer to the ground, making Itachi think of an animal expecting to be struck.

He hesitated for a moment, feeling the others' eyes studying his every move with a mixture of confusion and amazement. Finally, he asked flatly, "Still directionally challenged, are we?"

The woman froze, golden hair shrouding her face in shadows. She slowly lifted her face, indigo eyes wide. Kimi's gaze met and held Itachi's for a long moment as tears welled up in her eyes. She seemed unable to breathe.

"I-Itachi?"

He fought back the urge to smile. This was not the place for emotion, though he was sure Kimi needed to see it. Instead, he repeated the first words he ever said to her, though the words this time were different – darker – a sharp order rather than a kind suggestion. "Don't cry."

Kimi gasped, rising swiftly to her feet. "Itachi!" In the blink of an eye, she leapt forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest with a sob. "Itachi! I thought you were dead! I'd heard rumors about your clan – that they'd all been killed. I thought – I thought –"

Itachi was all-too aware of the air of pure astonishment that filled the room – and of Kisame's exclamation of surprise as he arrived to find the sobbing woman clinging to his partner. Itachi's arms seemed extremely heavy at his sides. His heart longed to comfort Kimi – to wrap his arms around her – but his mind argued that such an action might not be wise considering his current position.

Deidara opened his mouth to speak, but Itachi caught his eye with a fierce death-glare. The blonde man thought better of his actions and resigned to merely smirking in amusement.

Lifting her head slowly and lowering her arms so that her hands rested flat on Itachi's chest, Kimi studied the Uchiha's face with fear and worry in her eyes. "Itachi, what's wrong? What happened?"

Itachi tore his eyes from peering sideways at Pein to focus on the woman. He lowered his head so that he could speak softly in her ear. "Later. For now, get behind me and stay quiet."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "But –"

"Kimi."

His voice held a warning tone and Kimi bit her lower lip, nodding. She ducked obediently behind Itachi's left shoulder as he fully looked back to the Leader of the Akatsuki.

"This is Kimi," he stated flatly. "She's not a shinobi, and she _does_ get lost easily."

Sasori frowned. "She shouldn't be here."

"Hn," Itachi grunted with a slightly downward jerk of his chin. He felt Kimi stiffen behind him.

Pein shifted, though his astral projection made no sound to support the movement. "If she is not a shinobi, then she is of no use to us. Deidara."

Itachi unconsciously moved his arm protectively between Kimi and the other Akatsuki. Deidara arched his eyebrows. A tense silence consumed the room, broken only when Kimi cleared her throat softly.

Itachi sighed inwardly as she spoke up. "Um, I-I'm not totally useless," she said shakily. "I-I'm a pretty good cook. I've travelled a lot, so I know a lot of recipes from all over the place. P-pretty much anything you want, I can cook. A-and I've worked as a maid several times to earn my keep. I'm hardly a free-loader."

Pein peered at her for several minutes. "We cannot let her go free now," he stated. "So we have one of two choices. Employ her, or . . ." His voice trailed off with heavy implications as he turned his back on Itachi and Kimi, fading away. "We have no need for a maid."

Sasori' scorpion-like tail arched over his head and Itachi tensed, preparing to fight. Kimi lightly touched his arm.

"Actually, sir," she countered Pein's statement, "it might be beneficial for you to employ me. A clean house, after all, makes for a swift recovery from sickness. Should any of your people require recuperation time from injury or illness, they would be able to get back to work faster. There would be less down time and more – complete missions." She swallowed. "And I don't need any real income. A safe place to sleep and three meals a day is plenty of payment for me."

Pein ceased to fade and looked back at the young woman. "Very well," he conceded. "Bring her to Amegakure." He shot a sharp warning look at Itachi before vanishing completely.

After heaving a sigh of relief, Kimi smiled up at Itachi. He did not meet her gaze, staring instead at Deidara and Sasori until they left. Kisame then stepped toward the pair.

"Itachi, what's –"

Ignoring him, Itachi turned on Kimi. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, a bit more harshly than he intended.

Kimi's eyes widened. "What? I – I – I was heading to the Grass Country, but – but I –"

Itachi reached out without warning, hooking her waist and pulling her into a tight, one-armed hug. "Idiot," he breathed into her ear. "You scared the hell out of me."

The young woman smiled into his chest. "Sorry."


	17. XVII

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note:** It's become interesting writing a now-semi-silent Itachi . . . I think of so many things he might want to say but can't due to a certain reputation he has to keep . . . I almost feel sorry for the guy . . . almost. You still get a taste of his past self, though, when no one's looking . . . haha. Anyway, it should be noted that any telepathic communication through the network of Akatsuki rings are indicated by brackets -- [. . .] -- just to clear up any possible confusion. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

XVII

Itachi was acutely aware of Kimi's presence – her warmth – beside him as the trio walked down a beaten path through the forest. Down, though, did not really best describe their trek; up was more like it, as the path took on a steadily increasing slope. This only increased Itachi's awareness of the young woman beside him, however, due to the fact that Kimi was breathing a bit harder than he and Kisame in her effort to keep up.

It would be so easy for him to reach out and take her hand. In fact, his fingers itched for him to do so. Such an action, however, would not be wise in their current predicament. Any outward, open showing of affection might harm any of Kimi's chances of being accepted by Pein as a subordinate of sorts. It could put her in danger – the last thing he wanted for something precious to him.

"So, where are we going again?" Kimi asked, breaking the tense silence.

"Amegakure," Itachi grunted in return, not even casting a fleeting glance in her direction. He could only imagine what she was feeling at this moment. Was she hurt that he would not look at her? Was she worried – scared? Itachi could not tell.

It had been so long since Itachi last felt her presence beside him – so long since he had heard her voice – her laughter. He wanted to just stare at her for hours, rememorizing her features – so different after all those years, yet still somehow the same. He could not spare such time at the moment, however, and could never act in such a way around Kisame. What would the shark-man think?

Kimi spoke again. "How long will it take us to get there?"

Kisame growled. "We'll get there when we get there. Stop asking stupid questions."

The young woman dropped her head. "Yes sir."

The blue-skinned man glanced over at her with a scowl. He seemed about to say something, when he was interrupted by a soft voice only he and Itachi could hear. Both men halted, listening.

[Meeting. _Now._] The Akatsuki Leader's voice spoke in their minds, flatly snapping out the two words.

"Already?" Kisame smirked, sharp teeth flashing in the sun as he eyed Kimi again. "I'll give you three guesses what this one'll be about." He gave a harsh laugh, drawing a puzzled look from the girl in question.

Itachi merely grunted and turned off the road. They needed find a secluded grove or something of the like – and fast. Pein did not sound like he wanted to wait very long for anyone. After a moment's pause, Kimi followed after him with Kisame bringing up the rear. Itachi could almost feel her unspoken questions, but thankfully, they remained unspoken.

After finding a suitable location for what had to be done, Itachi folded himself into a seated position with his back to the trunk of a thick tree. A few feet away, Kisame did the same, speaking as he settled his giant sword across his lap. "How do we know she won't run off while we're gone?"

Kimi's eyebrows furrowed slightly from where she stood in front of Itachi. "You're leaving?"

"Not exactly," Itachi responded to Kimi before turning a sharp, wordless look on his partner. That single, implication-filled glance left no room for discussion of the matter.

Kisame shrugged and made a series of hand signs. "If you say so." He closed his eyes and focused his chakra. A moment later, many many miles away, an astral projection formed in the designated meeting place.

Itachi's gaze softened as he returned it to Kimi. "Sorry," he said softly.

Kimi gave a sad smile. "It's alright. I understand. You're a shinobi, after all. It's no big deal."

The Uchiha repeated Kisame's motions, but before he completed the jutsu, he sent a smirk up at Kimi. "Don't climb any trees while we're gone. I won't be in any condition to catch you."

She giggled. "Okay."

Kimi might have said more, but Itachi's mind was gone, following his partner's to where the Akatsuki were gathering in their astral forms. As his took shape, the sound of someone speaking overtook those of the woodland.

". . . only one left. We will begin as soon as he arrives."

Itachi opened his eyes. The darkness around him was only broken by a single torch in the middle of the cavernous room, casting a small orb of light in the middle of the seemingly-endless void. The soft glows of nine astral projections did little to aid in banishing the darkness, but that did not matter much in the long run. They could not really see each other clearly as astral projections anyway.

When Itachi completed his materialization, Deidara's voice calls out from across the circle. "Took you long enough, yeah."

Itachi said nothing, merely looking to where Pein's projection studied him. After a tense moment of silence – and without taking his ringed eyes off of the Uchiha – the Leader stated, "We have had an – interesting development."

"What sort of development?" Kakuzu inquired from Itachi's left.

"Deidara and I picked up a stray," Sasori replied, voice grating in the silence, "sticking her nose where it didn't belong. She should've been executed on the spot, but _Itachi_ protected her."

Itachi could feel everyone's eyes turn to him, but he did not move his gaze from Pein. Deidara sniggered softly, "Stone-face's got a girlfriend, yeah."

Pein sent Deidara a sharp look of warning. "Enough, Deidara." The blonde man fell silent as Pein's attention returned to Itachi. "Explain."

Everyone seemed to be holding their breath as Itachi made no indication that he intended to reply. Kisame glanced worriedly down at the young man. Pein arched an eyebrow.

Finally, Itachi answered, "She is no threat to the Akatsuki."

Pein's eyes narrowed, and he repeated, "Explain."

Itachi sighed inwardly. He had attempted to answer Pein's question with as little words as possible, but now he would have to go into more detail. He took a breath, and plunged into his answer, carefully maintaining a monotonous voice.

"Kimi is from a village that provides all of their citizens with basic defensive training but is very selective with who they actually allow into their shinobi academy. She was deemed unsuitable to be a shinobi at an early age and was thus dropped from the program. Kimi is not a shinobi, has no chakra control to speak of, gets lost very easily, can be rather clumsy at times, and is completely harmless."

Itachi could easily have continued on that list, but deemed doing so unwise. If he did, his emotions would undoubtedly rise, revealing how strongly he felt about the young woman. There was a strong possibility that Pein might choose to use this fact against him in order to achieve some unknown end.

Stunned silence followed his words – understandable since that was probably the most any of the Akatsuki had ever heard Itachi speak at one time – or in all, probably. Pein studied him carefully.

"You seem to know a lot about this girl."

"Hn." _We met when I was still a genin. I haven't seen her since I passed the Chuunin Exams._

Pein continued to peer at him skeptically. "Very well. I expect to see you here shortly." There was a threat veiled behind those words. There would be dire consequences if Itachi and Kisame did not arrive in Amegakura soon with Kimi in tow.

The Leader of the Akatsuki then turned his attention – and the subject of the meeting – to a growing conflict in the nearby Land of Earth. Apparently, villages that could not afford protection from Iwagakure had begun to turn to the Akatsuki for help.

Itachi only half-listened to the brief on the teams' respective missions. He would be able to call up the information from his memory at any time later, so it was not necessary for him to really pay attention. His thoughts focused instead on Pein's reaction to Kimi. Would she really be safe in Amegakure? It was not as if he could take her somewhere else now that the Akatsuki knew of her; that would be even more of a threat to her safety than residing in the lion's den.

Slowly, Itachi became aware of an odd tingling sensation in his left shoulder. It slowly grew – some sort of pressure pushing against him. He puzzled over this for a moment before realizing what it meant. Something – or someone, more like it – was touching his physical body. There was no doubt in his mind _who_ that was, but why would Kimi be touching his shoulder? Maybe trying to rouse him from what she must see as merely being a meditative state?

"You have your orders," Pein stated, drawing Itachi's attention back to him. "Report back as soon as your missions are complete. Dismissed."

One by one, the astral bodies faded away, Itachi and Kisame included. As Itachi's mind remerged with his body, the pressure against his shoulder became more distinct. As soon as he was settled, he opened his eyes and glanced over. What he saw was not what he had expected.

Kimi had taken a seat beside Itachi against the tree and had apparently fallen asleep. She leaned slightly toward him, her head resting on his shoulder. He took that moment to commit her new face – so relaxed in sleep – to memory.

She was older, but the Kimi he had fallen for was still there. Her hair was parted the same, but it was longer now, tied back at the nape of her neck by a black ribbon. She wore an indigo shirt reminiscent of a kimono, with a thick black band around her waist and long sleeves that nearly covered her hands. Upon closer inspection, Itachi found a black feather motive etched throughout the indigo cloth, dark against dark.

Still, he could see her in the slight upward tilt of her lips, a faint shadow of the smile he longed to see once more. Itachi reached toward her as if to touch her cheek, but was suddenly aware of Kisame watching him carefully. Instead, he gently shook her shoulder. "Kimi, wake up. Time to go."


	18. XVIII

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note:** I've been doing some extra research to make sure I get my Akatsuki facts/personalities straight (for the most part), and I've discovered something rather interesting. At this point in the Naruto timeline, Deidara would only be about 13 years old. This could present a problem, especially since I haven't been able to find anything on when exactly everyone joined the Akatsuki. I'm toying with the idea of inserting a couple original members, which would mean some editing in the last couple of chapters. However, I also think it might prove to be interesting if these events took place _right after_ Deidara joined Akatsuki, and have it explained later why he's there so _young_. I'd love to get some feedback on this idea. One another note, I've tried a different sort of storytelling road with this chapter. To clear up any confusion, this happens a couple of days after the last chapter (I think that fact's mentioned, but I just want to make it clear). Every time I tried to write the events between then and now, it never seemed to come out right . . . oh, well. I hope you all enjoy!

XVIII

Konan paused in the hallway, listening. Someone was singing. Though not totally unskilled, this person was no vocal angel either. The words were not as smooth as they could be, and a few here and there were slightly off-key. Though she had not heard this singing voice before, Konan could easily surmise who it was. None of the Akatsuki members would ever be caught dead singing such a cheerful tune, and the voice was definitely female.

There was only one other woman besides Konan allowed in the Akatsuki living quarters.

The blue-haired woman listened to Kimi sing for another minute – something light and soothing about ordinary miracles and life being a gift. Konan discovered that she was smiling slightly and pushed her lips back into their normal flat line of indifference. There was no use in such hopeful words or thoughts, yet she could not bring herself to tell the girl to stop. So, instead, she stood still and continued to listen, though her mind wandered elsewhere.

It had been several days since Itachi – with some barely-visible reluctance – had left Kimi in Amegakure, and already the Akatsuki headquarters was looking a bit healthier than usual. Konan had forgotten what color the stone tile was supposed to be until Kimi had scrubbed it until it shone slightly blue.

Konan had almost felt sorry for Kimi when she tackled the bath rooms. The girl attacked the grime, however, with fierce determination, leaving the Akatsuki second-in-command impressed and grateful to be able to take more than a five-minute shower. Anything more than that before might have defeated the purpose of bathing.

Crossing her arms, the woman leaned her back against a wall. The girl was useful; there was no doubt about that. For the first time what seemed like forever, the kitchen was actually being put into use. Konan woke each morning to delicious scents wafting through the air, breakfast waiting to be eaten and enjoyed.

Konan could not help but chuckle as she thought of Kimi's first "work day" in the place. She had gone straight for the kitchen, declaring it her top priority. When she had opened the refrigerator, though, the young woman had cried out in alarm and fear. Itachi – who had just been about to leave for a mission with Kisame – had unsurprisingly been the first on the scene, followed shortly by Konan.

The blue-haired kunoichi had entered the room to find Kimi cowering behind Itachi, gasping. "H-horrible. It's – it's –" She had seemed unable to find the words. When Konan approached to investigate the source of the young woman's fear, she had warned her against it. Of course, she did not heed the warning.

Konan's reaction to the sight within the refrigerator elicited a similar response, though the shinobi had not verbally called out. Pein, sensing Konan's alarm, had appeared moments later to discover his subordinate with her back pinned against the door of the kitchen appliance as if barring it shut.

"See?" Kimi had squeaked. "I warned you."

At first, Konan was unable to speak, unable – as Kimi had – to find the words necessary to explain to Pein what the hell was going on. Finally, she had rasped, "I don't think tomatoes are supposed to be that color."

Kimi had given a soft laugh. "Are you sure that was a tomato? I think it moved."

Itachi had remained stoic through the entire ordeal, staring at the refrigerator as if it was some offensive beast. Finally, Kimi had declared that if she was going to be cooking for them, then something would have to be done about that. Despite her duties as a sort of maid, she vehemently refused to touch whatever horrors lay behind that white door. Someone else would have to do it.

When Pein had dryly inquired who would be dealing with it, a sly grin had spread across Kimi's face. Beneath the suspicious eyes of two of the three Akatsuki – Itachi seemed unsurprised by her actions – the young woman had trotted to the door and called to the only other non-Akatsuki that dwelled on this level – Tobi. He had eagerly agreed to clean out the refrigerator while Kimi (escorted by Konan of course) went to acquire fresh provisions.

Konan could have sworn she heard Tobi's shriek of horror all the way outside. Nonetheless, the appliance had been spotless when the women returned.

Another ghost of a smile crept onto Konan's face as she thought of the masked boy that had attached himself to Kimi almost immediately upon her arrival. Though Tobi usually followed Zetsu continuously, he had begun to spend more of his time in the Akatsuki base rather than out on the road.

Normally, Konan might have cringed at this fact. Tobi's energy and continually-positive outlook on things was almost unbearable. However, he had begun focusing all of his energies on Kimi, and to Konan's increasing amazement, the girl was able to handle him. Though the boy was certainly older than Kimi, she treated him like an excitable child, with the patience and grace of a loving mother.

In the other room, Kimi's song drew to a close. Almost immediately, Tobi's bombastic voice begged her to sing something else. Konan bit back a chuckle as she waited for Kimi's response. Graciously, the young woman agreed, beginning another tune with a bit faster tempo. It was obviously one that Tobi knew, for he quickly joined in.

Konan winced. The boy was definitely tone-deaf. Shaking her head, she turned and left the pair to their singing.

Tobi sat on a stool in a corner of the den, watching Kimi as she scrubbed years of ground-in dirt from the tile floor. She had saved this particular common room for last in her quest to rescue the tile from a life of grimy misery. This was due to the amount of furniture that needed to be moved in order to reach the floor. She sang softly as she worked – sweet little tunes that brought life to the dreary halls.

Tobi liked her singing; she had a pretty voice. He told her so. Kimi smiled and thanked him, continuing to work. Her smile lit up the room. It was a pretty smile. He told her this too, and she blushed and giggled lightly, thanking him again.

Pleased that he had made her happy, Tobi sat still and watched her. It was hard to sit still. He wanted to help. He told her so.

Kimi sat back on her heels, smiling and wiping her forehead with the back of one hand. "Thanks, Tobi," she said sweetly, "but this is my job. It wouldn't be fair for me to ask you to help."

"But you don't have to ask Tobi!" the young man said eagerly, leaning forward on his perch. "Tobi wants to help you!"

The blonde young woman glanced around the empty room at her handiwork. "Well," she sighed, "I'm nearly done with this room already. You can help me clean the next one, okay? Besides, you moved the heavy furniture for me, which was a big help in itself."

Tobi beamed behind his mask at her praise. "Of course Tobi will help! Tobi's a good boy!"

Kimi giggled at this. "That you are, Tobi. Thanks."

After she finished the den, Kimi rose achingly to her feet, her knees and arms sore from all of the scrubbing on the hard tile floor. Tobi leapt to her aid, carrying the large bucket of dirty water for her as they trooped down the hall toward one of the bath rooms to empty it.

Kimi paused at one of the doors. "Tobi?" she asked. "What's through here? I was told what all the other doors lead to, but not this one."

Tobi looked to see which one she was talking about. "Oh, that's Orochimaru's room, but he's not here anymore. He left."

"So no one uses it?"

"Nope."

Kimi thought for a moment before glancing hopefully at Tobi. "Do you think Leader might let me use it, since no one else is? A room shouldn't be allowed to go to waste, after all."

"Maybe, but Tobi wouldn't go in there if Tobi was you. Orochimaru might have left traps. You could get hurt."

Kimi's face fell slightly. "Oh."

No, no. This would not do. Tobi did not like to see her frown. "Tobi will go in there first to make sure it's safe for you, though!" he volunteered brightly. "Tobi can help!"

That wonderful smile returned to Kimi's face. "Thank you, Tobi. You're a great friend."

"Tobi's a good boy!"


	19. XIX

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note:** I had a bit of fun with this one. Yay for breakfast at the Akatsuki headquarters! I guess this gives you a bit of a glimps as to how Kimi's settling into the place. Again, though I don't think it's noted, a few days have passed between chapters. I've chosen to go with Deidara being a newly-joined member of Akatsuki at the ripe age of 13. This will probably explain some slight OC-ness that might take place on his part. His personality, after all, is still developing at this point. I hope you all enjoy!

**To Vanya Starwind: **Thanks again for your input. I'm working on Deidara's explanation in the next chapter. It's kind of interesting, I think. I actually never thought of that particular choice for Kakuzu's partner (or lack thereof), actually. I'll definitely be thinking on that one.

XIX

Deidara stood in his doorway, sniffing the air with a puzzled expression. The Akatsuki base had seemed normal enough when he and Sasori returned from their latest mission. Of course, it had been dark then. Now, in the light, Deidara could clearly see the work of their newly-employed "maid." Every surface area was spotless – at least the common ones. Deidara was somewhat relieved that his room had not been touched. He did not want _anyone_ touching his stuff when he was not around.

_At least she has a healthy respect for privacy, yeah,_ Deidara thought to himself. His thoughts, however, did not remain long on the cleanliness of the headquarters. That strange aroma captured all of his attention.

He had never smelled the likes of it before – especially not in this place. What could it be? After testing the air again, Deidara gave in to his curiosity and trotted down the hallway toward the kitchen – the obvious source of the scent.

As he neared the doorway, a loud hissing, sizzling sound caught his ear, accompanied by a drastic change in the smell wafting through the air. Something was burning. Deidara had barely stepped into the doorway – had barely registered the sight of Tobi waving his hands frantically and uselessly through the air like some wounded bird – when a flash of gold brushed past him.

"Tobi!" the woman – Kimi, Deidara recalled – shrieked. "I told you to watch it!" She rushed to the stove, lifting the lid of the pot that was boiling over. "Look at this mess! Do you know how long it's going to take to clean it up? Rice water is a _pain_ to clean off of a stove, especially when it's burned in."

"Tobi is sorry, Kimi," the masked young man whimpered, sounding close to tears. "Tobi was watching it just like you asked."

Kimi sighed. "And you just watched as it boiled over? Real smart, Tobi. I know you've got a brain. Use it, please, before you burn the building down, okay?"

Tobi dropped his head and shoulders, looking rather dejected. Deidara could have sworn he heard the ninja sniffle from behind that mask. Kimi must have heard it too, for her face became pained and she heaved another exasperated sigh before placing the lid back on the pot.

"I'm sorry for yelling, Tobi," she said gently. "I just thought you'd understand what I meant by 'watching' the pot."

Deidara snorted. "Tobi doesn't understand much unless you spell it out for him, yeah," he stated with a dark laugh.

Kimi stiffened and looked at the blonde Akatsuki member as if she had forgotten he was there. Her eyes widened slightly in recognition. Before either could say anything, though, Tobi brightened suddenly from his downward spiral.

"Deidara-sempai!" he cried in a joyful greeting. "Tobi didn't know you were back so soon!"

Scowling, Deidara glanced at Tobi and snorted. Deidara was the newest – and youngest – member of Akatsuki, and yet Tobi already insisted upon referring to him as "sempai" for some strange reason. He did not really know what to think of it, though it might be due to the fact that Deidara was a full-fledged member of Akatsuki – cloak and ring and everything – while Tobi was a mere underling.

When Deidara returned his gaze to Kimi, she had turned her back on him to deal with the contents of the stove. She poured a bowl of – something – into an already sizzling pan. He watched her work for a couple minutes, attempting to ignore Tobi bouncing in place with barely-contained excitement. At least the childish shinobi was being quiet.

Finally, Deidara relented again to his curiosity. "What are you cooking, yeah?"

Kimi barely turned her head toward him. "Bacon and scrambled eggs," she answered. "I would add sausage or grits to that, but there didn't seem to be any in the market. Rice should do fine in place of the grits, though."

Deidara blinked at her. "_What_ are you cooking?" he repeated.

Much to his surprise, Kimi laughed. "Just take a seat and find out. The eggs will be ready in a couple of minutes. Tobi, could you set the table, please? Make sure to set out six places, and try not to drop anything this time, please."

"Of course! Tobi's a good boy!"

Deidara was not sure rather to be annoyed or amused by Tobi's antics and willingness to do whatever Kimi told him to. She was a civilian for God's sake. If anything, _she_ should be following _his_ orders, not the other way around. The blonde boy remained in the doorway, watching Tobi lay out plates. _Interesting,_ he puzzled. _She had him set for six. Who else is here?_

Someone cleared their throat behind him, and Deidara turned to see Konan giving him a blank stare. She arched one eyebrow. "You're in the way."

Deidara quickly moved out of the doorway. Konan walked into the room and slipped into a chair without sparing Kimi so much as a passing glance. The woman at the stove turned and smiled.

"Tea, Konan?" The kunoichi nodded, and Kimi poured her a cup before glancing over at Deidara. "Would you like some too?"

"Water's fine, yeah," Deidara said dully as he pulled out a chair and dropped into it.

Kimi smiled warmly and fetched him a glass. As she placed it in front of him, she said, "I'm Kimi, by the way. I don't think we've been properly introduced."

"Deidara, yeah," the boy grunted in return.

She grinned, saying, "It's nice to meet you," before returning to her cooking. A few minutes later, Kimi transferred what Deidara assumed were the "scrambled eggs" from the skillet to a large serving platter. With Tobi's eager assistance, she moved the food from the counter to the table.

Deidara stared at what she had cooked. The rice he knew, the bacon he had never seen cooked like _that_ before, and the eggs? He blinked. Was that even edible? It looked like just a slop of yellow, white, and brown _stuff_.

"Dig in," Kimi said brightly, though she glanced at the door with some degree of uncertainty.

Konan nodded to her and began serving her plate. Kimi remained standing, an almost weary expression on her face. "I take it – er – Leader won't be joining us again this morning?" she asked haltingly.

Deidara blinked in surprise, looking at Konan. The kunoichi merely shook her head and took a bite of the crispy bacon. Kimi took a deep breath and turned to fetch a tray from one of the cupboards. The way she fixed a plate, poured some tea into a smaller pitcher, and arranged the tray suggested some degree of practice. Did she do this every morning – or for every meal?

"Be right back," Kimi stated as she carried the tray out of the kitchen.

The blonde boy watched her leave with a shred of curiosity. The woman appeared to have made herself at home in the Akatsuki base, even taking their Leader his breakfast in the morning. Deidara faintly wondered if she actually saw the man face to face. He had only seen their Leader in his astral form, which gave away little to none of his features.

Returning his gaze to the table, Deidara realized that Tobi was watching him almost expectantly. "What, yeah?" Deidara growled softly.

"Well, aren't you going to eat?" Tobi asked. "It's not poisoned or anything. Tobi knows. Tobi already finished, see?" The masked young man tilted his plate up.

Deidara scowled. He had eaten already? But he had not even see Tobi serve his plate. Was he _that_ fast? Tobi interrupted his musings, however, offering to serve his plate for him. Deidara snorted and batted the masked man's hands away. "I'll get it myself, yeah."

Kimi returned by the time he finished loading his plate with food. She walked slowly into the kitchen, muttering, "Must still be asleep." Without looking at any of them, she fixed herself a plate, sat down, and proceeded to eat.

Konan watched the woman through the corners of her eyes as she lifted her cup of tea to her lips. She did not, however, drink. Instead, the kunoichi paused and then lowered the cup back to the table. Speaking not a word, the Akatsuki second-in-command rose and strode out of the kitchen.

Slightly startled by the sudden movement, Kimi looked up from her food in time to see the last of Konan's cloak sweep out of the doorway. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Is something wrong?"

Tobi shrugged, rocking back and forth in his chair. "Leader probably called her for something."

She blinked, obviously puzzled by the statement. "Oh. Okay."

Deidara glanced between the two of them, grunted, and took a bite of eggs. He paused mid-chew, staring down at his plate and then at Kimi.

"What do you think?" the woman asked.

The boy finished chewing and swallowed. He blinked at her several times before wiping the look of surprise off of his face and shrugging his shoulders indifferently. "It's alright, yeah," he grunted, returning his attention to his plate and shoveling another bite of eggs into his mouth.

Kimi grinned.


	20. XX

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note: **Sorry it took me so long to update. I've run into a bit of a block, but I'm slowly working through it. It doesn't help that I also have a 10-12 page paper in my composition class . . . ugh. Anyway, here's a bit more Deidara. I think I'm starting to like the kid-him. (hugs) He's so cute! I hope you all enjoy this little interaction -- this little chapter. It's one of my favorites that I've written, but I think that's thanks to Deidara. lol. Anyway, enjoy! I'm going to work on my paper now . . . and the next chapter intermittantly . . . yeah . . .

**Edit: **I was reading through this chapter and realized I'd contradicted myself with Deidara's comment about his mother and then him saying he grew up in an orphanage. Oops. It's fixed now. Sorry, yeah!

XX

Deidara saw it coming. It was not the least bit surprising. She had cleaned everything else, so the next logical step would be the bedrooms, right? He had fully prepared himself to turn her away – to declare that his room was his room and that he did not care whether or not he could see the floor through all the clutter. However, when she appeared smiling at his door, the boy could not – for some inexplicable reason – refuse her.

"Is Tobi with you?" he asked dryly. Kimi shook her head. Heaving a sigh, Deidara stepped out of the doorway and motioned her into the room. "Come on in, yeah."

He closed the door behind her and walked to flop back onto his bed. Kimi surveyed the room with arched eyebrows, making Deidara's eyes narrow. "Don't do that," he snapped. "You're not my mother, yeah."

Kimi glanced at him apologetically. "Oh, sorry."

Deidara scowled and rolled over on the bed. "Don't touch anything on the desk, unless you want your hands blown off, yeah."

She chuckled. "Thanks for the warning." The pair lapsed into silence, Deidara staring at the peeling paint on the wall in front of him. After a long moment, Kimi asked, "Are all of these dirty?"

Blinking, Deidara rolled back over. "What?"

Kimi motioned to the clothes scattered across the floor. "Are all of these dirty? If they are, I'll do a load of laundry."

"Oh, yeah."

Deidara passively watched Kimi work for a while, attempting to decide what exactly to make of the woman. He eventually became bored with watching her scrub soot and who-knows-what-else off of the floor. Stifling a yawn, Deidara reached over to his bed-side table and snatched up a lump of clay. It was not any of his exploding stuff, but – he glanced slyly at Kimi – he almost wished it was. He would definitely enjoy giving her a good scare – a little explosion to remind her who she was dealing with.

Smirking to himself, Deidara began working the clay with the mouths in his hands. Maybe he would try to make some sort of bug this time. Would a dragonfly go faster than his normal exploding-clay birds? He was always looking out for new styles for his art.

Deidara was so consumed by the clay in his hands that he jerked in surprise when Kimi spoke. "If you don't mind me asking, Deidara, how old are you?"

The blonde boy jerked his chin up proudly. "Thirteen, yeah. You?"

Kimi threw him a smile. "Sixteen." Her smile faded slightly as she continued scrubbing a particularly tough spot. "Tobi told me about some of the jobs you all get hired to do," she stated. "Aren't you a bit young to be involved in this sort of work?"

Deidara snorted. "If I'm good, what does it matter how old I am, yeah?" he demanded in return, his voice slightly defensive. He got enough from Sasori about his age without this civilian butting in.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I was just curious is all."

The boy grunted and returned to his work. Maybe he would make a spider. Spiders, after all, go unnoticed for the most part. He could sneak his bombs into the middle of a target building without any sort of alarm going up. If he managed to figure out how to condense a large quantity of explosives into a tiny arachnid, that would make it all the better. He would send one little spider into the middle of a building and then –

"So how did you get involved with Akatsuki, anyway?"

Pulled from his thoughts, Deidara scowled at the woman. "You ask a lot of questions, yeah."

Kimi smiled sheepishly. "You don't have to answer me if you don't want to. It's just really quite in here. I was trying to start up a conversation to help pass the time."

"I take it you don't like the quiet, yeah."

She shrugged one shoulder. "I don't really mind, but it's nice to talk to people and get to know them – especially when you're going to be spending a good bit of time around them."

"Well, I wouldn't pry too much if I were you," Deidara advised. "Shinobi don't take kindly to people sticking their noses where they don't belong, yeah."

Kimi dropped her eyes back to her work, muttering. "I've noticed." She sighed. "Never mind. Forget I said anything."

Deidara smirked as she continued to scrub the floor. She would learn her place soon enough. Silence returned to the room, and Deidara altered his sculpture into a more bird-like form. He turned it over in his hands for several minutes.

"If you must know, yeah," he said slowly, a slight smile on his face, "I like to blow things up. Some people call it a fetish, but I prefer to call it art. True art is fleeting, and thus explosions are the most wondrous forms of art in the world. I seek perfection in my bombs, though no one seems to quite understand that, yeah."

Kimi glanced at him through the corners of her eyes, continuing to work her way across the tile. "What does that have to do with you being in Akatsuki?"

"I grew up in an orphanage," Deidara continued as if she had not spoken. "We were allowed to attend the Academy, and that's where I discovered my true calling. I could combine being an artist and a shinobi, going on to create bigger and better works of beauty." A wicked grin cracked his lips. "My first great work was born within those walls of my youth. The explosion was magnificent, yeah."

The woman stiffened. "You blew up the orphanage?" she gasped.

Deidara chuckled darkly, tapping his headband. "In case you haven't noticed, Kimi, all of us in Akatsuki are rogue ninja – S-ranked criminals. We've betrayed and been cast out of our villages. That includes your precious Itachi, yeah."

Kimi stared at him. "What did he do?" she asked faintly.

Opening his hands, Deidara pushed a little chakra into the clay bird, animating it. "It's not my place to say," he replied, watching the bird flap up and circle the room. "If you really want to know, ask Itachi himself, yeah."

Her eyes followed the clay animal warily, making Deidara chuckle. "Don't worry. This one's not made of explosive clay. It's just a regular bird – made of animated clay, of course, yeah." He directed it to land on the edge of her bucket.

Kimi peered at the object for several minutes before finally returning to her task. She remained dutifully quiet for the rest of her time spent in his room. Deidara smiled triumphantly to himself, leaning back on his bed. Good. She's scared now, as it should be, yeah.

Time ticked by, and Kimi finally finished scrubbing the worst of the grime off of Deidara's floor. She left without a word to empty out her bucket. When she returned with a basket for his dirty clothes, her eyes flicked one last time around his room, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Deidara scowled slightly at her. "Something wrong, yeah?"

Kimi's reply surprised him. "What's your favorite color, Deidara?"

He stared at her for several seconds, mouth slightly open. "What?"

She met his eyes, smiling. "What's your favorite color?"

"Why do you want to know, yeah?"

Kimi motioned to the walls. "Take a look around you, Deidara. The paint's faded and peeling. It's rather dreary if you ask me – not the best setting for artistic inspiration. With your permission, of course, I'd like to spruce things up a bit. You'll need to pack up anything you don't want me touching yourself, though. I can do it while you're gone on your next mission, so you don't have to be displaced by paint fumes."

Deidara blinked at her. Was she serious? "You want to paint my room, yeah?"

"If you'd like." He continued to stare at Kimi, and she smiled. "You don't have to answer me now. Just let me know before you leave, alright? Oh, and I won't be cooking anything for lunch. There's bread on the counter and sliced meat in the fridge for cold-cut sandwiches. Help yourself when you're hungry."

He nodded in acknowledgement, and she scooped up his clothes and dumped them into the laundry basket. As Kimi stepped through the doorway, Deidara spoke. "Yellow."

Kimi looked back at him. "Hmm?"

The boy gave her a small smile. "Paint it yellow, yeah."


	21. XXI

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note:** Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean for it to take too long to write this next chapter. For some reason, I got stuck about half a page in. Ugh! I hate writers' block! Well, I got this chapter done (finally) in one sitting today. Finally got a burst of inspiration during a study break. Yay! Anyway, I'll try to get the next chapter done faster, but really, I don't know what to happen next. I have an idea for a small scene, but it won't last nearly long enough for an entire chapter . . . grr. I might be able to make it work, though . . . ah well. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It's a bit less bubbly than most, but you'll see why. Drama! Enjoy!

XXI

God's Angel moved silently through the rain. Water sluiced off of her wide hat, keeping her dry for the most part. Her cloak provided more protection against the offending damp. Her feet did not escape the wet of the rain, but by walking over puddles with the use of her chakra, she was able to reduce how much of the water actually splashed up beneath the protection of her hat and cloak.

The young woman walking next to her, however, was not so lucky. Kimi sloshed through the puddles rather than over them, splashing water up to her shins. She groaned softly, glancing up at Konan. "To think I got a bath before we left. I'm going to have to take another one when we get back."

Konan almost felt sorry for the girl. As a shinobi, she almost took such abilities as walking on water for granted. By watching the woman beside her, Konan was suddenly reminded of how hard the life of a civilian could be. For things that shinobi could use chakra and jutsu for, civilians would have to figure out some other way to achieve the same end. Their endurance was down; travel for them was considerably slower; they were all-in-all extremely weak.

And yet this woman – no, this _child_ – walked proudly with her head held high. Her cheery smile almost never faltered; her laughter never ran dry. What about her life could Kimi find so enjoyable? What secret did she know that made her outlook of such a dreary life so bright and cheerful? It almost made Konan sick.

The kunoichi returned her eyes forward, her face set in an emotionless mask. There were times when the girl's antics were endearing, but here – in this awful rain – she was not in the mood to be amused. It was during times like these when she wondered why Pein put up with the young woman. Why did he agree to allow her to stay? True, the base was in the best state it had been in for a very long time, but what else was the girl good for?

She glanced at the covered basket Kimi held protectively in her arms. The girl could cook, too. There was no doubt about that fact. But was the work of a maid enough to justify her presence among the Akatsuki?

Kimi jogged ahead of her companion, holding the door open for the kunoichi. Konan nodded to her in thanks as she stepped out of the cold rain and into the warmth of the building. In truth, Konan did not know quite _what_ to think of the young woman. For the moment, she would decide on indifference. As long as Kimi remained useful to Akatsuki – did her job as she was supposed to – Konan would put up with whatever _oddities_ might come with her.

Konan watched passively as Kimi bustled cheerily around the kitchen, stowing away the groceries the pair had just returned with. After a moment, she spoke up softly, "You'll want to stay out of the way today."

Turning away from the refrigerator, Kimi gives her a questioning look. "Out of the way? Is something going on?"

The blue-haired woman shook her head. "Not exactly. One of our members is returning from a mission, and you'll want to avoid him. He has an ugly temper."

Kimi paled slightly, which strangely pleased Konan in a way. "Oh. I understand. No problem. I'll find something to do to stay out of his way," she said quickly. "I have some painting to do anyway."

Konan barely nodded in acknowledgement of her reply before turning and leaving the young woman alone in the kitchen. The kunoichi did not know quite why she had warned Kimi about Kakuzu. If the girl did something to upset the man, it was none of Konan's business. Akatsuki was not responsible for her. If she was killed because of her clumsiness or naivety, then that was Kimi's problem, not Konan's.

She left the girl to her own devices, determined to keep Kimi out of her mind for the rest of the day.

--

An hour past lunch, the peace of the Akatsuki living area was pierced by a wet crash, followed by a sharp scream. An orange-masked blur came rushing out of Deidara's room, chased by the shriek of a woman's voice.

"_TOBI!!!_"

After the sound of several crashes and thumps, Kimi – nearly covered in pale yellow paint – flew out of the room behind him, grabbing the door frame to help turn her faster to chase after the masked shinobi. "Get back here you – ack!"

Kimi ran face-first into something hard and _solid_, stumbling back and slipping to fall on her rear end on the tile floor. Yellow paint dripped from her hair as she rubbed her lower back with a wince. "Ow . . ."

"What the –? Who the hell are you?! Look what you did to my cloak!"

Kimi froze, turning wide eyes upward to look at what she ran into. A very tall man wearing a half-mask over his mouth glared down at her through strangely-colored eyes – green against black. The front of his Akatsuki robe was smeared with yellow paint.

All the color drained from Kimi's face and she started trembling. "I-I'm so sorry!" she gasped, scrambling to her feet. "I-I'll fix it!"

"Fix it?!" the man roared. "How do you think you're going to fix it? This is _paint_ on my _robe_! What are you going to do?! _Wash it?!_"

Kimi shrank back, white as a ghost. "Y-yes?"

A low growl rumbled from the man's chest. Black threads seemed to be trailing down from the sleeves of his robe, twitching toward her. "Do you think this is some kind of joke?" He asked vehemently, advancing on her.

Kimi shook her head rapidly, backing away. "N-n-no sir, n-not at all!

The threads rose up, inching toward the girl's neck. Her eyes widened still and she did not seem to be breathing any more. "Do you have _any_ idea how much these things cost?!"

"N-no s-sir," she squeaked.

The threads were dangerously close, but before they touched Kimi's skin, a voice spoke from behind the man towering over her. "I see you've killed another partner, Kakuzu."

The man – Kakuzu – stiffened and looked over his shoulder. "So?"

The female voice did not answer his question, merely commanding, "Leave the maid be, Kakuzu."

"Maid?" Kakuzu intoned, looking back at Kimi. His voice seemed almost incredulous.

Kimi barely had the energy to nod.

Kakuzu turned to fully face Konan. The kunoichi stared at him with blank eyes, not even seeming to take note of the splotch of yellow paint on the front of the man's cloak. "Pein wishes to speak with you," she stated flatly before Kakuzu could snap out whatever was on his tongue.

The man scowled and grunted, shooting Kimi one last fierce glare before stomping away, He jerked his cloak off and threw it on the floor as he passed Konan. Kimi stood there for a moment, staring after him. Her legs then gave way and she sank to the floor in a puddle of paint and tears.

Konan watched her from a distance. She gave a slight sigh. So much for keeping the young woman out of her mind and not caring whether she got herself killed by Kakuzu. Despite her earlier mental declarations that Kimi was not her responsibility, Konan could not bring herself to merely watch as Kakuzu took his anger out on her.

The kunoichi glanced down at the discarded cloak. Though it was true that, from the looks of things, Kimi had gotten paint all over the front of his Akatsuki robe, it did not warrant killing the girl. In fact, Konan would be willing to bet that the true fault would lie with a certain orange-masked shinobi.

In a spurt of kindness, Konan bent over, picked up the cloak, and walked over to where Kimi had crumpled to the floor. "Clean yourself up," she said gently but firmly, "and then see what you can do with this. I'll get Tobi to start cleaning up the mess he made in there." The kunoichi nodded to Deidara's room.

Kimi nodded, trying to wipe her tears off on an un-painted bit of her sleeve. "Th-thank you, Konan."

Konan nodded and laid the cloak down, careful to avoid the paint that had dripped on the floor. "Take your time." She then turned and walked away, sighing inwardly. Actually caring seemed to be much more trouble than it was worth.


	22. XXII

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note: **I'm so so so so sososososo SO sorry it's been so long since I posted. The newest chapter took longer than expected to finish. I'M SORRY!!! I'll try to get the next one finished as soon as I can. Please forgive me! (bows profusely) I hope you enjoy this chapter and have a Merry Christmas (or Happy Hanuka)! SORRY AGAIN!!!

XXII

It was an accident! Honest! Tobi did not mean to knock over the bucket of paint so that it spilled all over Kimi. He had just been trying to help. Tobi was a good boy, after all, and would never do something like that on purpose! He did not want her to be angry. He wanted her to smile and sing like she always did when she was working. That made Tobi happy.

Konan seemed angry when she found Tobi. She snapped at him to clean up his mess and apologize to Kimi. Tobi scrambled to do as he was told. He did not want Konan angry with him either. She was scary when she was angry.

So he hurried to clean up the spilled paint, scrubbing on the floor like Kimi always did. It was a good thing that they had covered up what pieces of Deidara's furniture they could not move, so paint did not get on those. That would make Deidara mad, too, and when he got mad, things blew up. Often, those things turned out to be Tobi, and Tobi did not like that at all. It hurt!

Tobi cleaned, and he tried to hum some as he cleaned, but decided not to. His voice was not as nice as Kimi's. It did not make the cleaning better. So he stayed quiet and cleaned up the paint.

It took Tobi a while to get everything clean. Sometimes, the paint would smear, and that only made a bigger mess, which would not do at all! Finally, after lots of time, effort, and many buckets of soapy water, every drop of spilled paint was cleaned up off the floor – even the stuff that had dripped in the hallway. There was not a stray spot of yellow paint to be seen.

Tobi smiled happily to himself beneath his mask. Kimi would be happy with him when she saw how hard he worked for her. She would forgive him for spilling the bucket of paint, and everything would be all better.

Tobi's joy was cut short, however, as an angry voice snapped from down the hall, "What is this?" Tobi knew that voice. It was Kakuzu. He poked his head out Deidara's door to peer down the hallway.

Kimi, who was standing in front of the irate man, winced. "I-it's your cloak, s-sir. I c-cleaned it," she stammered out, offering up a neatly folded bundle of black cloth.

Kakuzu glared down at her from his doorway for a long minute before jerking the cloth out of her hand and unfurling it. He stared at the cloak through slits for eyes. "You expect me to wear this," he demanded angrily.

"S-sir?"

The bi-color-eyed man turned the cloak around and all but shoved it in Kimi's face, making her stumble backwards a few steps. "Look. It's stained. The cloud is orange," he spat.

Kimi stared at the cloud pattern held before her. The large shape across the chest of the cloak was splotched faintly orange instead of red, with some of the white outline a dull yellow as well. "I-I got a much out of it as I c-could, s-sir," she managed.

Kakuzu threw the cloak down at her feet. "Do you know how much these things cost?" he demanded of her. "Do you?"

She swallowed and shook her head, eyes wide. Tobi dashed to her side, wrapping his arms protectively around her and angling himself between her and Kakuzu. "Leave Miss Kimi alone!" he cried up at Kakuzu. "It wasn't her fault! Tobi was the one who spilled the paint."

The tall man glared and growled, but before he could say anything, Kimi mumbled, "How much?"

"What?" Kakuzu snapped.

Kimi lifted her eyes from staring at Tobi's shoulder. "How much did it cost?" When Kakuzu did not answer her – he just stared – she pried herself from Tobi's arms and ducked into her room. When she emerged, she had a small black pouch clutched in her hands. She offered it to Kakuzu. "I-I don't have a lot, but I'm willing to pay for the damages."

Kakuzu looked slowly from her to the money pouch she held. Tobi waved his hands in front of himself. "You don't have to do that, Miss Kimi. It's not your fault. You don't have to pay him for –"

Kakuzu snatched the pouch from her hands and peered at its contents with a critical eye. Kimi chewed on her lower lip, watching him nervously. Sighing, Tobi let his hands drop uselessly to his sides. Silence passed. Tobi did not like it; it was too stiff.

"It's not enough," Kakuzu finally stated.

Kimi swallowed. "I-I'm sorry, but it's all I have."

He thrust the pouch back into her hands. "Keep it." Kakuzu turned to go back into his room.

Blinking, Kimi looked down at what she held and then back at him. "But what about the cloak?" she asked.

Kakuzu merely grunted and slammed the door. The young woman just stood there, eyes locked on the wood in front of her with a stunned expression on her face. Tobi bent down and picked up the cloak.

"Do you want Tobi to throw this away for you?" he inquired softly, not wanting to startle her. She was already scared enough as it was.

Kimi snapped out of her trance, shaking her head and smiling. "Oh, no no. Don't do that. It's wasteful." She took the cloak from Tobi's hands and draped it over one arm. "I'm sure I can find some use for it, even if it's just for dusting cloths or something." The woman cast a wary glance at Kakuzu's door, as if she expected him to burst forth and object to such usage of the ruined cloak.

When no objection came, Kimi retreated back to her room to stow away the cloak and money pouch before returning to her task of painting Deidara's room. Tobi trailed behind her, a stream of apologies flowing from his mouth until she finally turned to him, chuckling. "Alright, alright. I forgive you. You can stop apologizing."

"Thank you, Miss Kimi!" He gave her a sudden, bone-crushing hug before jumping back again. "Tobi won't spill any paint this time. Tobi will be careful."

Kimi shook her head. "Thanks, Tobi, but you've helped enough. I can finish it up on my own."

Tobi's shoulders dropped in sadness. "But Tobi's a good boy . . ."

She smiled at him. "You can stay and keep me company if you want. Just don't touch anything, okay?" Tobi nodded quickly and eagerly, and Kimi turned to survey the damage. "It's a good thing I bought an extra can of paint."

"Tobi is sorry."

She poured out some of the paint into a tray. "Don't worry about it anymore, Tobi. Besides, you were a big help cleaning all of it up. Thank you."

"Well, Tobi made the mess, so it's only right that Tobi should clean it up." He rocked back and forth from his toes to his heels and back again. "But don't thank Tobi. Tobi would do anything to help Miss Kimi. All you have to do is tell Tobi, and Tobi will help. Tobi is a good boy!"

Kimi glanced back at him as she climbed the ladder and set the tray on the top shelf. She dipped the brush into the yellow paint and began to finish covering the top edge of the wall. After a moment, she asked. "Tobi? Why do you refer to yourself like that?"

"Like what?" Tobi asked innocently.

The girl shot him a puzzled look over her shoulder. "You always talk about yourself in third person. Why do you do that?"

"Is it a bad thing?"

She sighed, rewetting the brush. "Well – no, but still," she said, struggling with her words. "It's kind of – I don't know – demeaning? It's like you're not really you – like you're talking about someone else instead of yourself."

Tobi was silent for a few minutes, causing Kimi to look back again just to make sure he was still standing in the doorway. "Tobi never thought about it like that. It's the way Tobi's always spoken, but Tobi will try to change if Miss Kimi thinks he should."

Kimi shook her head quickly. "Oh, nonono. Don't do that, Tobi. You are who you are. The way you talk is a part of that. You shouldn't change it for anything." She gives him a warm smile before continuing her work.

"Okay, Tobi will remember that! Tobi's a good boy!"

All she could do was chuckle.


	23. XXIII

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note:** Sorry it's taken so long to update. My computer was attacked and infected by viruses galore near the end of Christmas break and the pc shop people had to wipe the hard-drive to fix it. Luckily, I was able to save all my documents and stuff beforehand, so I didn't lose anything. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Itachi's back, yay! Sorry for his extended absence so far in this part of the story, but I've been working on developing Kimi's relations with the other Akatsuki memebers as well -- which will be important in the future. You'll see. Oh, and I also fixed a few things in the last chapter. I was reading through it and realized I'd slipped into the present tense at one point. Oops. Well, without further delay, here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy!

XXIII

It was dark when Itachi and Kisame returned to Amegakure. The rain only fell in a slight drizzle for once, the thick mass of clouds hiding any sign of the moon or stars. No natural light ever really touched this village – this city – only the artificial globes that speckled the streets. Even those failed at times, though, leaving the inhabitants with only the dim glow of filtered daylight or the occasional flash of lightening.

It was a reminder, in a way, of the power that Pein held – the "God" of Amegakure. He controlled the roiling clouds above them. He controlled the rain. Life was only as good as he wished it, and there was nothing beyond the city walls. There was no sun, no moon, and no stars. There was only him – only Pein – only this self-proclaimed "God."

The dreariness of air permeated the entire city, inside and out. Thus, it was something of a happy surprise to the shinobi pair when they entered the Akatsuki lair. The air seemed warmer than usual – drier even, and certainly cleaner. The damp did not follow them in. The rain was a mere memory, though a reminder of it rested beneath their feet.

Someone – Itachi suspected he knew who – had placed out a thick mat in the entryway to catch any dripping water from those who entered. A rack sat to one side, ready to hold the hats and cloaks of returning Akatsuki members. Two cloaks and three hats already occupied some of the pegs, and Itachi wondered what could cause such a discrepancy. None of them ever wore their cloak out in public without the hat to accompany it and mask their exact identities. It was practically mandatory.

Itachi hung his own 'uniform' on one of the empty pegs. As he turned to continue on his way, shoes off and ready to be placed on their own separate drying rack, he spotted something else against the wall and nearly chuckled. Catching himself, he picked up two of the neatly-folded towels and wordlessly tossed one to his partner.

Kisame caught the cloth with ease, draping it around his neck and giving a toothy grin. "Nice."

Watching the blue-skinned man stalk off down the hall, Itachi used his towel to mop up any stray damp that might have maneuvered its way beneath the wide-brimmed hat he wore. After all, reeds were not exactly the best protection form torrential downpours. Water was bound to find a way through the weave eventually.

So, towel slung over his shoulders, Itachi moved silently into the Akatsuki lair, eyes flicking back and forth for signs of life. He knew it was late, and anyone there would most likely be asleep, but his heart longed to see her – to see Kimi – to make sure she was alive and well. He was not sure he would be able to sleep until his mind was set at ease – until he knew that all was well.

"Itachi-sempai!"

Itachi closed his eyes and sighed inwardly. Tobi. He turned and looked at the young man approaching him from a side hall. The masked boy slowed from his jog, giving a small gasp. "Oops. Tobi forgot. Everyone's sleeping. Shhh." He held up a finger in front of where his mouth would be behind the swirling orange mask.

The Uchiha merely nodded and continued walking. To his slight dismay, Tobi followed, speaking in a hushed voice. "Welcome back, Itachi-sempai. How was your mission?"

"Hn." None of your business. Go away.

"Aw, that bad huh? Well, Tobi had a lot of fun while you were gone. Tobi helped Miss Kimi clean. It was great! Except for yesterday. Tobi accidentally spilled some paint on Miss Kimi, and she bumped into Kakuzu, and Kakuzu got really angry."

Itachi froze mid-step. Everyone knew what happened to people who made Kakuzu "really angry." It was the reason the stitched-up man kept losing partners; they would anger him, and he would kill them. His temper was infamous. So, if Kimi had made him "really angry" . . .

". . . cleaned up Orochimaru's old room so she could use it. It's really nice, now, and . . ." Tobi was still talking?

Not bothering to listen to the rest of the young man's rant, Itachi continued quickly down the hallway, chest tight. According to Tobi, Kimi had taken over Orochimaru's room. Surely she would be there now – if Kakuzu had not acted upon his anger. Itachi fiercely hoped that he had not, not only for Kimi's sake, but for Kakuzu's also. If the temperamental shinobi killed her – or harmed her in any way – Itachi would not hesitate to do the same – or worse, even.

Itachi knocked softly on Kimi's door, trying to ignore his rapidly-beating heart. There was no answer. He fought to remain calm and reason things through. She was probably just asleep. Taking a deep breath, he quietly opened the door and peered in. The room was dark, masking much of the details, but one was instantly clear.

Kimi's bed stood empty.

The Uchiha did not panic. No. Now was not the time to panic. Still, his heart rate accelerated as he backed out of the room. If she was not here, then where was she? Did Kakuzu do something to her in his anger? He took a deep breath and turned back to the hallway, allowing the door to softly close behind him. He had to find her – now.

Itachi scoured the base, searching through the kitchen and other common areas with no avail. He even checked the empty bathrooms for any sign of her, but they were just that – empty. Itachi's Sharingan eyes took in everything, attempting to find anything that would tell her where the girl was. Still, he came up empty, which brought him to Kakuzu's door.

The towering man answered moments after Itachi knocked, demanding, "What do you want? Do you know what time it is?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Where is she?"

Kakuzu peered down at him, frowning. "Where is who?"

"Kimi."

The older man snorted. "How should I know? I'm not the bitch's keeper." He turned and closed the door in Itachi's face.

After a brief moment of inner debate, Itachi decided to ignore Kakuzu's insult to Kimi's character, returning instead to the problem at hand. Kakuzu had been telling the truth. He honestly did not know where Kimi was, and his tone of voice revealed that he did know that she still lived. That in itself was a relief, but it still did not help Itachi in his quest to find her.

Itachi glanced up and down the hall, hoping – against better judgement – that Tobi would pop out of the woodworks somewhere to eagerly assist him in his search. But, no. The boy was nowhere to be seen – probably off to bed now that the initial 'excitement' of a returned team was over and done with.

Clenching his hands to stop them from shaking, Itachi moved on. He was still carrying his gear; he would relieve himself of that before continuing his search. There was no point in lugging it around at the moment. If for some reason his quest took him out into the city, he could easily take care of any trouble with his jutsu alone – not that anyone in Amegakure would dare challenge one of the Akatsuki.

Itachi stepped into his room, closed the door behind him, and froze. Something was off. Listening, he pinpointed what; he was not alone in the room. The faint sound of breathing seemed loud in the silence of night. The Uchiha turned and immediately relaxed, giving a soft sigh of relief accompanied by a slight chuckle.

He had located Kimi.

Dressed in an old pair of sweats and a black apron with a red and white cloud on the front – which looked suspiciously like it had been fashioned from one of the Akatsuki robes – the young woman was curled up in Itachi's bed. Her breathing came slow and easy; her face was relaxed and peaceful. Kimi slept soundly, arms wrapped around one of Itachi's pillows.

Itachi crossed to the side of the bed and looked down at her sleeping form, for a moment unsure of what do to. Should he move her to her own room? No, he decided. He would leave her here. Itachi reached out a hand and gently brushed some of the hair out of Kimi's face, tucking it behind her ear. As if in response to his touch, Kimi shifted in her sleep. She burrowed her face into the pillow, breathing in deeply before sighing, "Itachi . . ."

He froze, hand hovering above her head. Was she awake? Kimi continued to breathe the slow tempo of sleep, and Itachi eventually relaxed again, studying the happily blissful expression on the girl's face – the faint smile on her lips. He slowly sat down on the floor next to the bed, leaning against it and watching her dream. It took him a moment to realize that he himself was smiling too.

Kimi's slow, steady breathing was almost hypnotic, drawing Itachi toward sleep as well. For some reason, though, no matter how heavy his eyelids felt, he never seemed to be able to relax enough to sleep. It was not the way he sat; he had managed to sleep in more uncomfortable positions during various missions. No, it was the tight feeling in his chest as he watched the young woman sleep – the feeling that wiped the warm smile from his lips.

Itachi had her back. Kimi was by his side – within his reach – once more, but for how long? How long would she be able to stay this time? How long would she last before Pein decided she was no longer useful and got rid of her? What if she found out what really happened to the Uchiha clan?

Before he had left for his previous mission, he had answered Kimi's question as to what happened to his can. He told her that he did not know who had committed the act – that he had been away on a mission when it happened. He had lied to her. If she discovered the truth, would she hate him? Fear him? Leave him?

He himself was almost afraid to find out. He did not want to lose her now that he had just gotten her back. The thought of it made him sick.

Itachi gazed at the sleeping girl. She had whispered his name. Was she dreaming of him? Hesitantly, he reached out and slipped one of his hands into hers. Kimi curled into a tighter ball, fingers closing around his hand as she pulled it to her face. A smile touched her lips; she sighed happily and fell still once more.

The Uchiha decided at that moment that no matter what happened, he would make sure he never lost Kimi again. Even if he had to lie to her to protect her, he would do so – anything to protect her – his precious person. He would tell her the truth eventually – once he was sure she was perfectly safe. She would forgive him; he was sure. Until then . . .

Itachi leaned his head on his arm, eyes drinking in Kimi's face. He smiled faintly and – his worries finally chased away – drifted off to join her in sleep.


	24. XXIV

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the long space between updates. Things are moving kinda slowly at the moment. I'm having a bit of writers' block with this section. I have some chapters written for further on, but it's getting to them so I can use them that's hard right now. I hate to write anything sort of "filler"-esque, but it's important for building up character/plot for future events, so any possible OOC-ness with Akatsuki members that might happen in the future can be explained and maybe even end up not being true OOC-ness after all. So, anyway, more Itachi in this chapter. Yay! Plus, you get a bit of Kisame-Kimi interaction in the end too. Kisame can be interesting to write sometimes. I haven't really decided what his opinion of Kimi's going to be yet. Everyone else I pretty much have figured out except him . . . hmmm . . . well, anyway. Here's the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy it!

XXIV

When Itachi awoke the next morning, a blanket was draped over his shoulders. Blinking, he lifted his head from his arm. The bed was empty; Kimi was gone. Itachi frowned slightly. How did she get past him? Had he slept that deeply? He rose to his feet, the blanket sliding from his shoulders to the floor. Normally, Itachi would wake from sleep at the slightest disturbance. Surely he would have awoken to Kimi leaving – to her covering him with a blanket – but he had not.

That fact made him wonder. Had Kimi actually left of her own accord, or did something more sinister happen to her? Itachi shook his head. He was probably over-analyzing the situation – fearing the worst. If someone had taken her, they would not have put a blanket over him – to mislead him into thinking that Kimi left under her own power. But what would be the gain in that? Why would they want Kimi in the first place? No. That was Kimi's doing; he was sure of it. It still did not make any sense, though.

Still frowning, Itachi slipped out of his room. As soon as he stepped over the threshold, delicious aromas met his nose. Cooking. He moved down the hall to the kitchen and peeked in. There she was, safe and sound, her attention entirely consumed by the contents of the stove. He leaned against the doorway and watched her passively as she hummed to herself, completely oblivious of the trouble she had put him through the night before. That was probably best, though. He did not want her to feel guilty about the unintentional ordeal.

His worries put to rest, the older of the remaining Uchiha brothers returned to his bedroom. After casting a brief glance around, he stepped over and straightened up his bed. Itachi then retrieved the blanket from its crumpled state on the floor, folding it into a neat square before placing it at the foot of the bed. His red eyes scanned the room once more to make sure everything was in order before moving on to the wardrobe to retrieve his toiletries and a change of clothes.

Order, in Itachi's opinion, was a part of a shinobi's life. That fact had been hammered into him as a child so that it was almost instinct to make sure every item in his living area was in its own specified place. That way, he would know if anything had been tampered with in his absence. Knowledge of one's surroundings was always important as a ninja. Besides, cleanliness was supposedly close to godliness – to perfection – and Itachi was supposed to be the model of a perfect ninja. He had been trained and primed all of his life to be able to fit that description.

So, it was with no small sense of pride – and relief – that Itachi made his way to the bath room. Days on the road provided little to no chance for cleanliness, especially when the Akatsuki Leader was holding a deadline over the team's collective head. Also, the pair's status as rogue ninja kept them from stopping too often in respectable inns with proper bathing facilities. They could not risk being recognized, since such an occurrence would more than likely ruin the outcomes of their missions. The last thing they needed was ANBU on their tails.

Thus, Itachi took advantage of the bath room in the Akatsuki base whenever he and Kisame returned. If it was available, after all, why not make use of it. It was not as if he liked smelling like the wilderness.

The raven-haired shinobi sank into the steaming water with an inward sigh, feeling the heat soak into his skin and break up the tension in his muscles. He allowed his eyes to slip closed, though his other senses remained alert. Even here, in the main headquarters, he could not risk letting his guard drop for even a brief moment. The men here – plus Konan – were just as dangerous, if not more so, than any enemy he might encounter in the field, and the fact that they worked together did not necessarily mean that they were friends and thus incapable or unwilling to harm – or even kill – each other. Kakuzu was proof enough of that. He killed his partners on a daily basis.

Sooner than Itachi would have liked, Pein's voice seeped into Itachi's mind. [Itachi, Kisame, I want a full mission report. Now.]

Sighing aloud this time, Itachi rose smoothly from the water, toweled himself dry, and donned a clean, crisp set of clothes. After folding his dirty set and placing it on a bench against the wall – he would deal with it later – Itachi moved silently down the hall and out of the cheery living areas of the base. This particular hallway, an offshoot from the main, appeared to be the only section of the level retaining the dreary and ominous appearance that had claimed the base before Kimi's arrival.

Itachi immediately spotted the looming shape of his partner through the gloom of the dimly-lit corridor. The blue-skinned man slouched outside one of the few doors scattered across the wall, beady black eyes fixed on him as he approached. Kisame nodded to Itachi in greeting and acknowledgement, though the later did not return the courtesy. Instead, the Sharingan wielder drew to a silent halt on the other side of the doorway, face devoid of any emotion.

Both men knew that they would not be meeting with their Leader face to face. No. Even when the man was close by – which was most likely the case at this moment – he chose to appear before his subordinates in an astral projection. This did not make their meeting any less serious, though, especially concerning Itachi. He knew that he was on a short leash due to the whole matter that Kimi presented. One step out of line would most likely mean disaster – more so for Kimi than for Itachi. The girl, in a since, was a bargaining chip – an assurance for Pein of Itachi's good behavior – a fact that did not sit well with the Uchiha at all.

After what seemed like an eternity of pregnant silence, the familiar voice of the Leader of Akatsuki hummed through the mental connection provided by the rings on Itachi and Kisame's fingers. [Enter.]

"After you," Kisame rumbled with a grin, razor-sharp teeth flashing even in the low light.

"Hn," Itachi grunted in return as he reached for the door knob.

--

Dinner was composed of a simple salad, rolls of golden bread, and something that Kimi referred to as "spaghetti", though the term meant nothing to Konan. When the woman blandly inquired where she had learned of such a dish, Kimi launched into a cheerful tale of her travels to the far west with a merchant caravan.

"It's not all desert," she stated as-a-matter-of-factly. "The sand ends eventually, and when it does . . . well, everything's so different there. Their clothes – their mannerisms – their food – it's all so alien." Kimi flashed a smile as she moved a bowl of strange noodles – much thicker than ramen – to the table. "It was an amazing experience, though strange, and I learned so much."

Konan eyed the meat sauce that Kimi transferred over next with slight skepticism. It continued to bubble slightly in the pot, even when away from the heat of the stove. "I see," she muttered blandly.

Shrugging off the woman's lack of enthusiasm, Kimi returned her attention to a now-whistling kettle on the stove. As she did so, Kisame appeared in the doorway, testing the air with flared nostrils. "Don't know what it is," the shark-man admitted as he strode in and dropped into a seat, reaching for one of the rolls, "but it smells great."

Konan's attention was drawn from inspecting the odd utensils Kimi had placed around the table in place of chopsticks – forks and knives as she had called them – when Kisame gave a sharp yelp of pain. The blue-haired kunoichi's eyes slid up to find the man rubbing the back of his hand and directing an angry and offended look at Kimi. Standing over him with one hand on her hip and the other shaking a long metal ladle at Kisame, the young blonde looked suddenly intimidating – if only slightly.

"There's plenty for everyone," she said sharply in a voice that sounded very much like it belonged in the mouth of a scolding mother, "so just wait until the others come. Then you can eat." The corners of Konan's mouth twitched ever so slightly upward at the sight.

Kisame appeared to be on the verge of retaliation, but one sharp look from Itachi – who was now sinking into a chair across from his partner – silenced the shark-man, leaving him to do nothing but glower at the offending girl. Kimi, on the other hand, seemed oblivious to his fury, turning a bright smile to Konan as if nothing had happened.

"Tea's ready," she stated. "Would you like some more?"

"Thank you," Konan replied politely, lifting her cup so that Kimi could refill it.

This done, the blonde girl shifted her attention to the other occupants of the room. "Itachi, would you like some?" Receiving a curt nod, Kimi fetched a mug for the Uchiha. Only after she served him did she turn her eyes to Kisame. "How about you?"

Frowning, Kisame rose to his feet and crossed to one of the cupboards. "I'll get it myself," he grunted.

Kimi nodded and moved to the door, calling out, "Tobi! Dinner!" The masked young man appeared moments later, and Kimi stepped aside to allow him entrance into the kitchen. "Is – uh – Kakuzu still here?" she inquired hesitantly.

Tobi shook his head as he dropped unceremoniously into one of the empty chairs. "Nope. He went to get something for Leader-sama, but he should be back later. Does Miss Kimi need help with something? Tobi can help you. Tobi's a good boy!"

"Oh, nono," Kimi answered quickly. "I don't need anything. I was just wondering." Her eyes turned to Kisame and seemed to glitter in amusement as the man continued his hunt through the cupboard with increasing agitation. Without speaking a word to him, Kimi turned and opened the pantry nearest to the door, reaching up and pulling a bottle from the top shelf. "Looking for this?" she inquired innocently as she turned back and held up the object.

Kisame's attention snapped around and his scowl twitched into something unrecognizable. "Yeah," he grunted sharply, snatching away the bottle of sake when she stepped over and offered it to him. "Thanks."

Konan hid a smile in her tea as the two finally took their seats.


	25. XXV

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note: **Again, I'm so sorry that this took so long to get out. I hit a bit of a bump near the beginning and couldn't get it going. Then, I had to work out the new character I've introduced in here. Yep, there's a new guy on the block, kids. Sorry, Hidan won't be making an appearance any time soon. Instead, you get to meet one of Kakuzu's intermediate partners, so to speak. I'm wondering if I should make any hinting toward an inner-Akatsuki betting pool going on as to how long Kakuzu's next partner will last. Of course, they wouldn't be able to let Kakuzu know about it (the money-monger) otherwise he'd probably cheat. Hmmm. Anyway, this one's a bit longer than my last ones have been, so hopefully that'll make up for the wait. Well, here you go. Enjoy!

XXV

Itachi and Kisame's presence in the Akatsuki base did not last very long. Before a week could pass, they returned to the road, casting off on their way to execute yet another assignment in a distant land and thus leaving behind the comfort of a readily-accessible bath and three warm meals a day. As Itachi moved through the rain, he realized a drastic change in his mindset – a change manifested in the tightness gripping his chest. For once, he was reluctant to leave Amegakure behind – to be out on the road. Usually, he would be glad to escape from the gloom of Pein's domain, but now he felt a sensation sweeping through him akin to homesickness – and he knew the precise reason why.

The reason was a certain person, and that person remained behind in Amegakure, diligently going about cooking, cleaning, and generally keeping the base in good condition. Kimi was slowly but steadily changing the Akatsuki base, transforming it from a mere hideout to something more akin to a home. It was something of a relief to know that no matter how far and long he travelled, there was somewhere warm, safe, and stable for Itachi to return to. The fact that Kimi was waiting there for him only made the sensation better.

Still, it worried him to leave her alone at Pein's non-existent mercy – not that she was ever truly alone. When the team was gone, Tobi reattached himself to Kimi, cheerily shadowing her wherever she went and keeping her company while she cleaned. However, within a day or two of Itachi and Kisame's departure, the base was once more spotless. Now that the living areas were in top shape, they were fairly easy to maintain, leaving Kimi – and thus Tobi – with a generous amount of free time.

In a stroke of luck favoring Kimi's sanity – there was only so much even she could take of Tobi's antics – Deidara and Sasori returned from their reconnaissance mission to report and equip themselves for their next assignment – whatever that might be.

Kimi greeted them at the door, all smiles. "Welcome back!" she said brightly.

After a brief moment of semi-awkward silence, Deidara returned her smile – though not as enthusiastically. "Thanks, Kimi, yeah."

Sasori merely grunted and lumbered down the hall in his hunched puppet-body. Kimi turned and watched him go, her expression a strange cross between disappointment and amusement. Deidara studied her face in that short time, trying to figure out how that combination actually worked. Before he could come to a conclusion, though – and after Sasori had thoroughly vanished into the sanctuary of his room – Kimi turned back to him, smirking. "He's not very social, is he?" she asked.

Deidara blinked a few times before chuckling. "You could say that, yeah."

Kimi giggled and trailed behind the younger boy as he moved to his own room, inquiring lightly, "So, how'd your mission go?"

The blonde artist shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, it was alright – kind of dull, really. On the plus side, though, Sasori managed to go the whole time without making some comment about my age and so-called 'inexperience', yeah." The boy paused for a moment outside his room before frowning and adding. "He couldn't refrain from insulting my art, though, yeah."

Kimi leaned in his doorway as he unloaded his gear, dumping most of it on the clean-for-once surface of his work bench. "Sasori doesn't like your – er – art?"

Deidara snorted, rolling his eyes. "The old man thinks art should be everlasting. Ha! Art is brilliant and fleeting, and that's what makes it beautiful. It's a bang. Am I right, yeah?" He looked at her expectantly.

Fighting down a smile, Kimi replied. "I think I'll stay neutral on this one, but I do think your art's wonderful, Deidara. It's totally unique and every piece is different. That's what makes it wonderfully beautiful to me."

After a fleeting moment of disappointment when she did not outright agree with him, Deidara nodded and grinned. "Thanks, Kimi. I'm glad you think so, yeah."

"Not at all," Kimi replied before motioning a hand to the room. "So, what do you think of my art, Deidara?"

The boy glanced around before blinking in surprise. "Oh, right. You painted." He examined the room. "It looks good, yeah."

"Thank you. A bit of disaster struck part-way through, but it wasn't too bad. It cleaned up really well, and you can't even tell a thing went wrong."

Looking back at her, Deidara cocked an eyebrow. "Disaster, yeah?" Kimi gave him a meaningful look. and the answer dawned suddenly on the young man's face, bringing a half-laugh half-groan from his lips "Tobi, yeah?"

Kimi nodded, smirking. "Tobi."

"Yes?" The man in question poked his head into the room, making Kimi jerk in surprise. "Someone called Tobi?"

An almost pained expression crossed Kimi's face before she turned and smiled at the masked man. "No, nobody called you, Tobi. Deidara and I were just talking." Catching that brief wince of pain, Deidara sniggered softly.

"About Tobi?"

Kimi nodded, still smiling sweetly. "Yes. I was just telling him how helpful you were while I painted his room."

The energetic shinobi brightened. "Oh, yes! Tobi helped Miss Kimi! Tobi is a good boy!"

Deidara chuckled and shook his head. Giggling, Kimi looked back at him. "So, what are you doing now, Deidara? Do you have to go talk to Leader about your mission results or what?"

The blonde artist shrugged. "Not right now, I don't think. He has to call us, yeah."

"If you have time, then, do you want to play a game of shogi?"

--

Kimi's wooden tile clicked down onto the board, and she sat back once more, studying the game with a pleased expression. Behind her, Tobi was bouncing with barely-contained excitement. "That was a great move, Miss Kimi!" he exclaimed. "Deidara-sempai's gonna have a hard time countering that one, aren't you, Deidara-sempai?"

The young man in question narrowed his eyes. "Shut up, Tobi," he snapped. "I can't hear myself think, yeah." Deidara reached for a tile, stopped, and then pulled his hand back again, gaze continuing to scan the pattern of pieces laid out before him.

"Aw, be nice, Deidara," Kimi chided gently, a slightly mischievous smirk on her face. "He's just excited over the game is all."

Glancing up from the board at her, Deidara could almost see the unspoken addition in her eyes. "But it's nice to see him tormenting someone else for once." He chuckled. Perhaps Kimi did not have perfect patience after all. "He can be excited all he wants," Deidara countered, forcing the return smile from his face, "as long as he stays quiet, yeah."

"Tobi can be quiet," the masked shinobi piped up. "Tobi is a good boy!"

Kimi giggled as Deidara's scowl deepened. "Why do I get the feeling," the artist inquired wearily, "that no matter where I move you've got me cornered, yeah?"

The blonde girl shrugged and opened her mouth to answer. Before any words came forth, though, a loud snort sounded from one of the common room doors, followed by a condescending voice, "Playing shogi? How lame is that?"

All three heads in the room snapped around to stare at the figure in the doorway. Bronze hair just long enough to be pulled back a short horse-tail – those bits that could not be messily framing his face – the man peered back at them with hazel eyes and a cocky smirk. "A couple of girls and an idiot in a mask? Yeah, definitely lame."

Deidara was immediately on his feet, hands balled into fists. "I'm not a girl, yeah!" he yelled hotly back.

Tobi seemed to shrink down beside Kimi. "Tobi's not an idiot," he whimpered sadly. "Tobi's a good boy."

Patting Tobi on the arm, Kimi gently shushed him. "Don't mind him Tobi. He's just a rude jerk." Her eyes slid back to the man in the doorway, her face hardening. "Who are you anyway?"

"The name's Taro, formerly from the Village Hidden in the Mountains," the man sneered, throwing a thumb at his slashed forehead protector, "and you are?"

"I'm Kimi, that's Tobi, and the man about to kill you is Deidara." The ice in her voice startled Deidara from his death-glare at the newcomer, making him glance down at her with slight concern. Her face was passive, eyes glaring daggers at Taro. Gone was the ever-present smile. Gone was the bubbly laugh hidden beneath her every word. She almost seemed like an entirely different person.

Taro studied her with arched eyebrows, arms crossed over his chest. "Do I know you?" he inquired.

"I highly doubt it," Kimi countered. "I've travelled a lot, though, so it's likely that we've met." Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "I don't make it a habit of associating with people like you."

That statement made Taro laugh. "People like me? That's interesting, considering where you are, unless I've somehow mistaken this dump for the Akatsuki headquarters. If that's the case, then I'll gladly remove myself from your presence, Kimi. Besides, I don't make it a habit of associating with people like you."

Kimi's jaw tightened, but she said nothing in return. After a moment, Deidara cleared his voice. "No, you're not mistaken, but trespassing here without permission is punishable by death, yeah." One of his hands moves to fiddle with the zipper to one of his clay pouches.

Taro laughed harshly. "Oh, don't worry, miss. I have permission." He lifted his left hand, fingers spread, to reveal the ring resting on his index finger, the red jewel wrapped in silver flashing in the light.

Deidara cursed under his breath. "You're Kakuzu's new partner, yeah?"

The bronze-haired man smirked. "Yeah."

"Good luck with that," Kimi scoffed, turning pointedly back to the shogi board. "Kakuzu's killed all of his past partners himself. He's got a nasty temper, and with that attitude of yours, you won't last long around him." She studied the board for a moment before adding, "Which would honestly be no real loss."

"What's that supposed to mean, bi--"

"Taro!"

The man stiffened as Kakuzu emerged from the doorway behind him. "Yes, sir?"

Kakuzu's eyes scanned the room, resting momentarily on Kimi before focusing again on Taro. "What the hell are you doing in here? We have a mission. You're wasting time, and time is money. Now, get your ass in gear and get moving!"

Taro scrambled out of the room, quickly stammering, "Y-yes, sir! It won't happen again!" Grunting and growling in frustration, Kakuzu followed.

Once they were gone, Deidara returned to his seat, sniggering. "You're right, Kimi. He's doomed, yeah."

"Hn," Kimi grunted, her eyes not leaving the board.

Deidara glanced at her before moving one of his tiles. "Are you alright, yeah?"

"Miss Kimi looks really angry. Is there anything Tobi can do to help?" Tobi wrapped his arms around Kimi, leaning over her shoulder to look at her through the eye hole in his mask.

Kimi smiled at him, all traces of her previous mood vanishing. "Thanks, Tobi. That's really sweet of you." Her eyes moved to Deidara. "Really, though, I'll be fine. I've just known one too many people like that, and I'd prefer not to have another one in my life."

Deidara nodded in understanding. "If we're lucky, he'll die before they have to come back here, yeah."

"Yeah . . ." Kimi reached forward to make her move.

The trio fell into silence – Tobi rather surprising the other two with how obediently quiet he was being. He shifted so that he sat between them, watching the board from the sidelines. A couple rounds of turns later, a smooth voice spoke very close to Kimi's ear. "Impressive strategy."

Jerking slightly, Kimi looked up to see an almost bored-looking red-head leaning over her shoulder to study the board with wine-colored eyes. His attention switched from the pieces to her. "I was unaware that you played shogi," the man commented.

"U-um, yes, I do." Kimi gave a slight laugh, motioning to the board. "Apparently."

After nodding to her, the man turned his eyes to Deidara. "You're losing, brat."

Deidara growled back, "I'm well aware of that, Danna. You don't have to point it out to me, yeah."

Kimi's eyes widened. "Wait. Danna? You're Sasori?"

The man straightened his back, returning his gaze to Kimi. "I am."

"But – you –" she sputtered.

"Hiruko," Sasori interrupted, receiving a confused sound from Kimi. "What you normally see is one of my puppets, Hiruko," he explained, his voice remaining ever monotonous.

"Oh."

Once again, Sasori's eyes moved to Deidara. "Leader wants to speak with us, brat."

Siging, Deidara rose to his feet. "All right, I'm coming." He smiled down at Kimi. "See you around, yeah."

Kimi lifted a hand in farewell. "See ya, Deidara." As the shinobi team reached the door, she called after them. "Oh, and Deidara? Checkmate."


	26. XXVI

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note:** Sorry it's been so long. This chapter took an unexpected twist, and I wanted to work through it to its end to make sure it worked before I posted it up here and thus hammered it into proverbial stone. Because of that, you all will be getting two chapters today instead of just one, so yay! So, any other words I have to say right now will be in the next one. Enjoy!

XXVI

Pein leaned forward, his elbows resting on his desk as he studied the pair before him with ringed eyes. His blue-haired "Angel" stood passively at his shoulder, her eyes on him instead. After a long stretch of silence – during which neither the red-headed puppet master nor his blonde partner moved – Pein finally spoke. "So, your findings were inconclusive."

Sasori nodded curtly. "Yes. To know anything for certain, we will need to infiltrate the compound. However, his security is tighter and stricter than those we have dealt with before. We will be hard-pressed to slip in undetected."

The metal-pierced Leader of Akatsuki frowned. "And we have a deadline to meet, so we can't waste any time with lengthy plans."

Deidara's eyes flicker momentarily to Konan. "We might be able to deceive them, though – hide in plain sight. Currently, he has been hosting a large number of young women in the compound in an attempt to find his son a suitable wife, yeah."

Humming thoughtfully, Pein turned his gaze to the kunoichi at his side. "I see. If Konan poses as a prospective bride and the two of you serve as her honor guard or something of the like, they would be much less suspicious of your actions or even general presence in the area."

Konan bowed slightly. "I can be ready immediately," she stated with her usual lack of emotion.

"It won't work," Sasori grunted.

Pein lifted his eyebrows at the puppeteer. "Oh?"

"Konan is not experienced enough with the use of emotions," the man replied. "The shinobi would recognize her easily as a fraud. She can't serve as the decoy. She's too cold."

The blue-haired kunoichi bristled, eyes hardening. "What do you suggest then?" she demanded with thinly-veiled annoyance. "One of your precious puppets?"

Again, Sasori shook his head. "That would not be profitable either."

Pein studied him. "Who do you suggest we use, then?" he inquired tightly. "If you cannot find a suitable decoy, then Konan will be accompanying you."

A sudden smile spread slowly cross Deidara's face. "I know who we can use, yeah."

Sasori glanced over at his partner, taking in his expression. Realization flickered across his features before becoming calculating. "That's actually a good idea, brat. It'll take a bit of artistry to make her fit the part, but that won't be a problem for me."

Deidara scowled at the red-head. "I'm allowed to have good ideas, too, Danna, and what do you mean by 'for you'? I'm an artist, too, yeah!"

Sasori grunted, but before he could retaliate, Pein cleared his throat pointedly. "Who do you have in mind?"

--

Kimi blinked. She stared blankly at Sasori – then at the box in his arms – then at Deidara – Sasori again. "You want me to do what?" she asked incredulously.

"You are going to help us infiltrate Lord Kishimoto's compound by posing as a prospective wife for his son Ukki," Sasori responded coolly.

Her eyes widened. "Lord Kishimoto?" she echoed. "The Lord Kishimoto?"

"There's only one," he stated.

She stared at him.

Deidara stepped closer to the young woman. "You don't need to worry about it, Kimi. We'll be right there with you, yeah," he assured her.

"You know I'm not a ninja, right?" Kimi asked them warily. "I never graduated from any Academy. Wouldn't it be better to use a fully-trained kunoichi for this?"

Sasori shook his head. "That doesn't matter. Actually, it's probably better that you're not a fully-trained kunoichi. You act more like a regular young woman, which is what we need. Your emotions are genuine and thus more believable."

"Uhuh." Kimi still sounded dubious about the idea. "So, uh, what's in the box, then?"

Sasori opened the lid, tilting the box so she could see inside of it. "Your kimono." A sea of blue fabric met Kimi's eyes, embroidered by delicate silver phoenix birds. The puppet master studied her astonished expression. "You've never worn a formal kimono like this, have you?" he inquired.

The young woman shook her head numbly. Before she could utter a single word, though, Sasori seized her wrist and pulled her into her bedroom. When Deidara attempted to follow, his partner turned and put a hand out to stop him. "You stay out here, brat," he ordered firmly.

"But–" Deidara objected as the door slammed in his face. The lock clicked into place, causing the young man to stiffen. He banged his fist on the door. "You'd better not try anything perverted, Danna!" he called through the wood. "And if you hurt her, I'll never forgive you, yeah!"

When there was no reply, Deidara growled and started pacing back and forth, eyes shooting ever so often to the closed door. Inside, Sasori set the box on Kimi's bed and flatly ordered her to strip. The girl flushed and made no move to comply. "Not with you in here!" she declared indignantly.

Sasori sighed. "In order to put this on, you have to take that off. It's how clothes work. Surely, you know that already."

Kimi's cheeks darkened, though this time with a touch of anger alongside the embarrassment. "Can't Konan help me into it instead? Why does it have to be you? You're a guy."

"I made it," the puppet man answered simply, "and I have to make sure it fits properly before you wear it at an official function."

"Oh."

The two stood in silence, staring each other down before Sasori finally grunted in annoyance. "Will you get undressed already before I do it for you?"

Kimi stiffened. "Alright, fine, but turn around. I don't want you watching me."

Sasori rolled his eyes but did as she asked, crossing his arms over his chest. The young woman peered at the back of his head through narrowed eyes for a moment before turning around as well and pulling her clothes off. "I had better be getting paid for this," she grumbled under her breath.

Sasori chuckled.

--

Kimi sat very still as Sasori meticulously applied the last touches to her make-up. She had been fussed at enough for her fidgeting, and decided it might be wise to give the puppet master as easy a time as possible in getting her ready for the ordeal to come. After all, the handle of the brush he was using was rather sharp and unsettlingly close to her face. One wrong move might upset him, and she might just learn how sharp that end was.

From somewhere nearby, Deidara heaved an impatient sigh. "Are you done yet? She's going to be late, yeah."

"Be quiet, brat," Sasori growled as he leaned back and studied his work before setting the brush down. "There. All finished."

For the first time in what felt like hours, Kimi opened her eyes. At first, confusion rose in her mind as she peered at the woman seated in front of her, fine blue silks draped over her slender frame. The girl's eyebrows furrowed and so did the woman's. She lifted a hand to her cheek, and the woman copied the motion, perfectly synchronized. "That's me," Kimi finally breathed in awe.

Sasori appeared at her shoulder, a look of smug satisfaction on his face. "It is a mirror, Kimi. What do you expect?" His expression became more serious as he whispered in her ear, "You remember what you have to do?"

Kimi swallowed and nodded, apprehension flickering through her eyes. "Yes." She stood and turned to Deidara, who smiled at her.

"You look great, 'neesan," he stated lightly. "You're eyes really shout, yeah."

The young woman giggled, stepping carefully over to ruffle his hair. "Thanks, 'touto," she laughed as he batted her hand away. "You stay out of trouble, alright?"

Deidara flashed her a mischievous smile. "Can't make any guarantees, yeah." His eyes flicked to Sasori and back, and he winked at her. "I know you'd rather have me in there with you, but I guess you'll just have to survive with danna, yeah." When his eyes slid back to his partner, they seemed to convey unspoken words. "And I have other things I need to do."

There was a knock at the door before anything more could be said. Deidara turned and answered it. "The gathering will begin shortly," the servant boy stated, glancing past him at Kimi curiously. "Dinner will follow soon after."

Kimi inclined her head. "Thank you."

The boy flushed and vanished down the hall. Sasori sighed. Confusion touched Kimi's face as she glanced over at the puppet master. "What?"

He took on his 'teacher' tone. "You are a noblewoman tonight. You do not address the servants. They are beneath you. Handling them is what we're here for. The help is beneath you."

Kimi looked slightly offended. "But they're people, just like you and me."

"Not tonight they're not," Sasori insisted, eyes steely.

The object of his gaze swallowed and nodded meekly, "Yes, donna."

A triumphant smile blossomed on Deidara's face. "Oh, you don't have to call him that tonight, Kimi. He's supposed to be just like the rest of the 'help'. Treat him just like he told you for the boy, yeah."

Sasori glared daggers at his partner before admitting, "He's right."

Kimi took a deep breath and lifted her head proudly. "Very well, then. Come along, Satoru." She swept smoothly out of the room with all the air and grace of an aristocrat. Sasori lifted his eyebrows before adjusting his clothes to make sure none of the seams in his puppet body were showing and following her.

Deidara chuckled and closed the door behind them. Kimi would be alright. He was sure of it. Taking a deep breath and sighing, the blonde boy surveyed the room. Time to get to work.

--

Sasori watched Kimi mingle with the true noble-women from his place on the side wall with the other 'servants'. He had been separated from her upon entering the room, told to wait until he was called for – until she needed him for something. From the looks of things however, his presence would not be required any time soon. Kimi seemed to be handling herself quite well, blending in with the crowd – though always standing out. It was odd. Even when Sasori lost sight of her, his eyes always seemed drawn to wherever she was standing. He could not lose her, even if he tried.

Nobility of several countries were currently here, young and old, male and female. Only a handful of them were actually eligible brides, but all had taken advantage of Lord Kishimoto's hospitality. No few of them, as Sasori recalled, even had bounties on their heads – requests for political assassination. He smirked inwardly. They would get paid well for this night.

"Lady Kuromira! I was not aware you would be attending!" a loud voice boomed from Sasori's left. "It has been far too long, my dear."

The red-headed shinobi glanced to the side. A tall, raven-haired man stood on the slightly-raised platform at the end of the room, grinning broadly at someone in the crowd – Lord Kishimoto. No one, however, seemed to know who he was addressing. A soft murmur swept through the nobles, questions buzzing in the air.

"Kuromira?"

"Who is he talking to?"

"Is that even a real clan?"

A slight frown touched Sasori's lips as Kishimoto stepped into the crowd, moving purposefully toward the object of his attention. The crowd parted around him, the hum of conversation quieting down. Following the lord's gaze, Sasori's eyes narrowed. The only person in his path – in his direct line of sight – was Kimi. Kuromira. That was not the clan name they had decided on for her. She had not even been introduced yet to Kishimoto.

Sasori's thoughts ground to a halt. Did Kishimoto know her? He studied Kimi as closely as he could from this distance. Though her expression seemed composed, her eyes were slightly wide, and as Kishimoto came nearer, the young woman visibly paled. When the lord stopped in front of her and snatched her hand up to bow over it and lightly kiss her knuckles, Kimi looked like a frightened deer ready to bolt. Sasori suspected she would have already if her legs were not constricted by the kimono.

"I would recognize those eyes anywhere. It is truly a pleasure to see you again, Lady Kuromira," Kishimoto stated with something quite like hunger in his smile. In a softer voice, barely audible to Sasori from the distance, he asked almost mockingly. "How's the old fire-turkey?"

A strange blend of emotions flickered across Kimi's open face – from indignation and anger to fear and finally an odd sort of resolution. Then, with speed and precision Sasori only witnessed among shinobi, those emotions vanished, replaced with a frosty smile. "The pleasure is mine, m'lord."

Kimi never once glanced in Sasori's direction. If she had, he might have been able to find out more about what exactly was going on. Since she had not, though, the puppet master remained in the dark, which greatly annoyed him. Something was going on here, and he did not like it one bit. He fingered his Akatsuki ring, wondering if he should report this little hiccup in their plan to their Leader. After a moment, he decided against it. No, he would keep this to himself until he knew more.

Lady Kuromira. The name meant something. Sasori knew it; he just did not know what.


	27. XXVII

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note:** Well, there was your twist. You can probably see how that threw me a little, trying to figure out how to work it through. Sorry if the slight jumping of scenes confuses anyone. It happens again in this one, slight time skips over portions of the mission that might be tedious/boring to write/read. I consulted a friend and fellow writer concerning how to arrange everything, and she advised me to do the scene thing. It seems to work and flow somewhat. Anyway, for those of you who have been suspecting that there's something more to Kimi, well here's your first little teaser taste as to who or what she is. Also, I hope you all enjoy my Kishimoto reference a little. I couldn't really think of a good name to use for the Lord and his son, so I named them after the creater of _Naruto_ and his potted plant. haha. Yeah. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy these chapters! I'll do my best to get the next one up faster. Later gaters!

XXVII

Kimi whimpered in pain as Sasori's grip tightened on her upper arm. He pushed her down into a wooden chair, looming over her with emotion in his eyes for once – fury. "Explain," he snapped sharply. "What was that all about?"

The young woman averted her eyes. "Noth–"

"It was _not_ nothing, so don't even start, girl. _What was that all about?_" When she did not answer, he slammed his hands onto the arm rests, making Kimi jerk and flinch in surprise. "Answer me!"

"Somebody will hear you if you keep shouting," she mumbled softly.

Sasori scoffed. "I put seals up. Not a word will be heard outside of this room. Now, answer the question before I force it out of you." His wine-colored eyes locked with hers, fiercely drilling into her head.

Kimi sighed. "We've met before – Lord Kishimoto and I."

"That much is obvious."

She frowned at him. "You asked me a question. Are you going to let me answer it?" Sasori scowled back at her but remained silent. "Thank you. It was a long time ago, and I didn't really remember until he spoke – didn't _want_ to remember it. You see, when my parents passed when I was young, Lord Kishimoto so _graciously_ took me in out of the kindness of his heart." Her words became slightly spiteful. "I stayed with him for a time – not here, though. He has a place in the mountains.

"Everything was fine at first. I was content. Ukki was – and still is, I guess – my age and we got along grandly. When I got older, though, Kishimoto forced me into a contract that scared me near to death. I'm actually somewhat grateful for it now, but at the time I was only a child – not even of Academy age yet. I didn't understand what was happening – much less know how to cope with it – and I didn't have anyone to help me do so. Heck, Kishimoto himself didn't know what he was doing."

Her words fell silent as she stared down at her hands. Sasori straightened up, releasing the arm rests. "What sort of contract?"

Kimi avoided his piercing gaze. "It's complicated."

"Try me."

The young woman lifted her eyes from her lap. "Let me rephrase that, then. I'm sorry. I can't tell you." She smiled apologetically. "Understand that it's not that I _won't_, but that I truly _can't_. It's part of the contract. Unless you already know certain details, I am physically unable to speak of them with you."

Sasori's lips twitched downward. There was nothing but truth in her words. "Very well. Tell me what you can, then."

"I just did."

The shinobi sighed. "Alright, go on. Kishimoto forced you into this contract. Then what?"

Kimi's eyes glazed over in thought, staring at nothing in particular. After a minute or two passed in silence, Sasori prompted her again to continue. The young woman blinked and spoke softly. "After a few years, I got tired of being used and treated as I was. I left and never looked back – or tried not to at least. I'm reminded every day of what he did to me, though I've long come to terms with it." A faint, wry smile touched her lips. "You might even say I enjoy it now that I can understand it."

"_It_ being the contract, correct?" Sasori inquired. Kimi nodded. "And you're sure you can't tell me anything more than those annoyingly evasive riddles of yours."

The girl chuckled. "Sorry, but no. I can't."

Sasori eyed her suspiciously. "You had better not be using that as –"

"I'm not just using it as an excuse to hold back information from you, danna," Kimi laughed softly. "Honest. I really, truly _can't_ tell you." She looked at him earnestly. "Believe me. If I could, I would. It would be nice for someone else to know, and I think you're a decent enough person not to spread the information far and wide or attempt to use me as Kishimoto did."

The puppet master's eyes narrowed. "Use you?"

"I am a Kuromira," Kimi said simply.

"And what exactly does that mean?" When Kimi shook her head, Sasori grunted. "Let me guess. It's part of the contract. You can't explain it."

The apologetic grin returned. "All I can say, danna, is that I am a Kuromira as Itachi is an Uchiha. However, it's not only _who_ I am, but also_ what_ I am." Sorrow claimed her features suddenly. "And being what I am has made others what they are as people have tried to copy what cannot be copied."

Sasori mulled over this information. Apparently, 'Kuromira' was indeed a clan name – the name of a clan with a kekkei genkai from the sound of things. However, it also would seem that someone attempted to duplicate the Kuromira kekkei genkai – whatever that was – and from Kimi's demeanor concerning that point, the results were disastrous.

The red-head watched his charge for another long moment before speaking again. "You do understand what our mission parameters here entail, correct?" he inquired flatly, changing the subject. He had learned enough for now, filing the information away for later. There was no more time to waste. Kimi nodded and he pressed on. "They won't be a problem, will they."

Kimi's expression and voice took on a bitter edge. "Trust me. The shinobi world will be a better place without Kishimoto. I'll even save you the trouble and tell you exactly where he keeps what you're looking for."

--

Deidara watched his insect bombs crawl up into the ventilation shaft with no small sense of satisfaction and pride. The timing for this would be perfect. Once he activated the first bomb, the internal timers in the others would automatically start. The countdown would be unstoppable. The finale would be glorious.

The blonde boy chuckled softly to himself, glancing casually around before strolling off to the next location.

--

Sasori sat not-so-patiently within Hiruko – which he had kept sealed away until his part in the operation was complete – peering out from his high perch above the extensive complex at the activity below. Kishimoto had apparently spared no expenses in building this extravagant cliff-edge fortress overlooking the northern sea. The architecture was ornate and rather elegant as well, almost making the entire complex a work of art in itself. A shame it was, then, that Deidara would be blowing it up. There was no use for it now that Akatsuki had what it wanted.

Soon, the second main purpose of this mission would be carried out. An unnamed employer had paid good money to the Akatsuki to ensure that, once the organization's own goals were met, Kishimoto was disposed of. Of course, the entire operation had progressed much more quickly than expected once Kimi shared a certain tidbit of information – information that led to the acquiring of the jeweled box now resting in Sasori's lap. Within the box was a scroll. This simple little scroll held the key to achieving the Akatsuki Leader's ultimate goal. Sasori was not aware as of yet what exactly that goal was – or what the scroll contained – but it was not his place to know such things at this point in time. Pein would inform them all when he felt in necessary.

Deidara appeared at the puppet master's side just as he was about to lose the last thread of his patience. "It's ready. We've got five minutes until the grand finale, yeah," the blonde declared, making a decisive sequence of hand signs.

"Good. Let's go, brat." He turned and started to shuffle away. His partner, however, did not move. Growling in frustration, Sasori looked back. "What?"

The young man scanned their immediate vicinity. "Where's Kimi? I thought she was with you, yeah." His voice was tight – worried.

"She fell behind," Sasori answered blandly, turning back to continue on his way as his mind ran through the last time he had seen the young woman.

_Kimi paused in the doorway, looking down the opposite direction that Sasori was moving. Her expression was thoughtful – almost indecisive. Sasori peered at her somewhat suspiciously. "Is something wrong?"_

_The girl shook her head. "Nothing's wrong. I just thought of something I need to do before we finish here."_

_"What's that?"_

_A slight smile touched Kimi's lips. "I have some unfinished business with our dear host. I just want one last word with him before this place goes up in flames." She glanced back at Sasori. "Don't worry. It won't take long and it won't disrupt your mission."_

_The puppet master's eyes narrowed. "Very well. You know where we're supposed to meet. If you're not there, you'll be left behind."_

_"I understand."_

"What?!" Deidara demanded. "And you just left her, yeah?"

Sasori snorted. "Yeah."

Deidara whirled back to face the compound, plunging his hands into the pouches of clay at his hips. As the blonde worked rapidly to create his largest clay creature yet, Sasori returned his attention to the boy, watching him work furiously on the growing shape.

Should he tell his partner what he learned about Kimi – about her connection to Kishimoto? The girl had profusely expressed her desire to leave that fact behind her – to forget it. In all honesty, it was probably Sasori's _duty_ to report his findings to the Akatsuki Leader. However, whenever he considered informing the man, his heart twisted in what he could only describe as guilt. This, of course, frustrated Sasori to no end.

For the time being, though, he would leave the matter alone and take out his frustrations on his partner. "What are you doing, brat?" he demanded sharply.

Deidara finished his quickly-made masterpiece with a flourish. "I'm going to go find her. We can't just leave her behind after she helped us get here, yeah!"

_Yes we can. It'll rid us of a future headache._ Sasori did not voice his thoughts, however, merely frowning at the giant clay bird. "Will that thing even fly?" he inquired critically as Deidara leapt onto the thing's back.

In a wordless response, the clay bird lunged out into the open air, catching a sea breeze and soaring over the doomed complex. Sasori growled softly before heaving a sigh and focusing on his Akatsuki ring. [You do realize that you only have about three minutes left now, right brat?]

[Shut up, _danna_. I'm trying to concentrate here,] came the snippy mental reply.

Deidara frantically scanned the grounds of the compound. Where could she be? Guards rushed about below, stirred into action by the theft of the scroll. Deidara's heart thundered in his chest. Had they noticed his and Sasori's absence as well? Had they drawn lines from the theft to Kimi? Had she been captured? If that was so, then rescuing her in the next precious minutes would prove near impossible. If she did not get out _now_, then she would be caught up in the explosion!

As if echoing his thoughts, a couple of smaller buildings exploded into flames with deafening bangs. The result among the guards was almost instantaneous. It was like watching an ant-hill in motion, but Deidara did not have time to admire his handiwork. That was one of the preliminary explosions to stir everyone else. It also served as a signal to him. There was only two minutes left until the grand finale – until the detonation that would consume the entire compound.

Where was Kimi?!

A shout rose from the cliff-side edge of the complex, and Deidara's eyes zoned in on the spot, catching a flash of gold and blue. Kimi stood with her back to the cliff, wind whipping through her golden hair – which had mostly fallen from her once-tight bun. Her arms hung limp at her sides, and the extravagant kimono appeared to be torn in several locations. To Deidara's relief, though, he spotted no blood. Her lips were moving, but from the distance, he could not make out the words.

A building almost directly below Deidara exploded, throwing smoke and debris into the air and forcing the shinobi to bank his mount to one side in order to avoid being peppered by larger chunks of broken stone- and wood-work. One minute left.

From his new angle, Deidara could see _who_ Kimi was talking to. Lord Kishimoto. The man looked absolutely furious. As he moved to take a step toward Kimi, the girl lifted one of her arms. A kunai flashed in the fire-light, but she did not attempt to attack the man with it. Instead, she pressed the blade to her own throat. Kishimoto froze.

The wind shifted, allowing Deidara to make out the next exchange of words.

"You wouldn't."

"Try me, _m'lord_."

"You'd really throw it all away?"

"It's _my_ life."

"Not anymore."

Kimi's face tightened and she turned away from Kishimoto. "You really don't know anything, do you?" Her dark eyes flicked up and locked momentarily with Deidara's before flicking to the cliff and back. "I guess this is goodbye, Kishimoto. Enjoy the art." She twisted toward the cliff, casting the kunai aside as her legs bend to spring.

Deidara's eyes widened. She was jumping! Realization clicked in his mind and he flattened himself against his clay mount. The bird tucked its wings and dove. Kishimoto gave a shout of surprise, reaching out as if to grab Kimi, even though he was too far away to actually make contact. Kimi pulled her kimono away from her legs and leapt off the edge. Behind her, the main bomb in the heart of Kishimoto's complex detonated.


	28. XXVIII

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note:** Sorry it's taken so long to update. I'd meant to do it over the weekend, but I caught a horrid head/chest cold and was pretty much useless since last wednesday. I still have the sniffles now, though it's getting better. Anyway, here's the next chapter. I had fun writing an emotionally unstable Itachi fighting to regain that stability that he lost before anyone notices. I know it's kinda OOC for the Itachi that we all know, but I personally think it makes sense for this fic and the effect my dear Kimi has on him. Anyway, I only have to write one more chapter before I get to the couple that I've already written. Yay! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

XXVIII

Itachi paced back and forth across the floor of his room hands clenching and unclenching repeatedly. A mission. A mission! They had sent Kimi off on a _mission_?! Why would they do such a thing? What possessed them to even _consider_ putting her in such a position? With the sort of work that Akatsuki did, she could get hurt or even killed! He growled softly, turning on his heel to start another circuit. If anything happened to her, he would strangle whoever was responsible for this. No, first he would break them with the Mangekyo Sharingan. _Then_, he would strangle them.

The Uchiha's thoughts and motions screeched to a halt as he realized what was happening. He was angry – not just angry – _furious_. He never got this way. He _never_ lost control of his emotions. And yet there he was – at a boiling point – ready to slaughter the first person that looked at him in a way that displeased him even the slightest bit. This was not a good state of mind for him to be in at the moment. Shinobi were supposed to have total control of their emotions at all time, not let them rampage on like that.

Folding himself smoothly onto the floor in the center of the room, Itachi closed his eyes and fought to regain control of his emotions. He began with a slow breathing exercise, moving from there to steadily relax each muscle in his body. _Calm down. I need to calm down._ Gradually, his racing heart began to slow to a calmer beat, his breathing becoming deep and relaxed through a slightly open mouth. Calm. Steady. In control. He slowly felt his anxiety slip away, a sense of peace washing over him.

When he finally managed to reign in those rampant emotions, Itachi let out a soft sigh and opened his eyes. He then narrowed them and glanced around in suspicion. The sight that met his gaze was definitely not his room in the Akatsuki headquarters, though the endless black void did seem suspiciously familiar. Thus, he was not entirely surprised when he rose to his feet and turned to find a tall mirror standing alone in the dark, its surface shining slightly with inner light.

Itachi frowned as he stepped closer to the object. This was his dream – but why was it here? He was meditating, not sleeping, and surely his mindscape consisted of more than just this mirror. The Uchiha knew for a fact that there was more to his mind than this near-empty void. He had seen it before – gone there during his meditation. So, why was he seeing _this_, now, instead?

Itachi peered and then scowled at his reflection. His reflection smirked back. "You again," the raven-haired young man growled softly. "Who are you? You can't be me."

The reflection shrugged, still grinning.

"You know something," Itachi stated. "You know what this place is." He motioned to the surrounding void. "You know why I'm here. Don't you?"

Still, the reflection smirked, eyes gleaming almost mischievously.

Itachi's Sharingan blazed, though he knew it would do him no good against a mere mirror – though he doubted it was just a _mere_ mirror. "If you know, then tell me," he demanded of his reflection. When the other Itachi did not answer, he felt his anger flaring dangerously up again. "_Tell me!_"

The Uchiha lifted a fist and slammed it against the mirror. The smooth surface instantly shattered into a million pieces, blinding light surrounding him. When he regained his sight, he almost expected to be standing in a forested area – as he always seemed to be in his dreams. Instead, he was back in his room, standing now rather than sitting in his meditative position. He frowned as words spoken by his father – or rather his dream-father – long ago echoed into his mind.

_"You have a mission, Itachi. We cannot afford for you to be distracted."_

Distracted. That was what was wrong with him, Itachi realized. He was distracted. He did not want to admit it, but that was the case. Kimi was distracting him. Though it was true that Itachi had not slacked off a bit during his missions – even succeeded more soundly now – whenever he did not have one to focus on, she was all that filled his mind. She was all he could think about. Her voice – her touch – her laughter – her smile – her _scent_ – they claimed his consciousness – invaded his dreams. He could not escape her – not that he wanted to.

At times, it was calming – comforting even, but at times like this, Itachi found it to be a nuisance. He realized that _Kimi_ was the ultimate source of his raging emotions. But what did that mean? Did the others know? If Pein found out, he might use that fact against Itachi, or he might just get rid of the distraction as Itachi's father once had. No. Pein would not just forbid Itachi from seeing her ever again; he would get _rid of_ her – _kill_ her.

That thought brought a new wave of emotion, and Itachi lifted a hand to clutch his chest. Afraid. He was _afraid_. Why? Why did she make him feel this way? Why did she have this effect on him? Ever since he met her, Itachi had _changed_. He realized this. He felt it. The very fact that he _felt_ so much was proof enough. But why? _Why?_

"Ow ow ow! That _hurts_, yeah!"

The cry of pain that drifted through Itachi's door made him stiffen. That was Deidara. He was back. No. _They_ were back. He turned toward the door, unconsciously holding his breath as he waited for the retort to Deidara's exclamation that was sure to come.

"Well, if you would just hold _still_, then it might _not_." Kimi's sharp words were punctuated by another pained shout.

"How can it _not_ when you're using _that_ stuff, yeah? _Ow!!!_"

One of Itachi's eyebrows twitched upward. There was a loud thump followed by several curses and a shout from Kimi to "Sit _down!_" Frowning, Itachi slipped out of his room and down the hall. The sounds were coming from the kitchen area. As he neared the room, a blank-faced Sasori stepped out and looked at him.

Itachi stopped moving, meeting the wooden man's gaze. Sasori continued down the hall, pausing when he came to Itachi's shoulder. The words that the puppet master spoke were almost too soft for Itachi to make out. "You and I both know what must be done." With that, Sasori vanished down the hall.

The Uchiha watched him go with hard eyes. _You and I both know what must be done._ A frown touched his lips. He did not like the sound of that at all. His train of thought jumped back to the rails it had been following minutes before. If Pein realized that Kimi was a distraction, he would get rid of her. _You and I both know what must be done._ Itachi would have to get her away from Akatsuki – out of danger – before Pein discovered her effect on him. That was the only way to save her.

But was that what Sasori meant? Did he want to spare the young woman's life as well? Or was he siding with Pein – wanting to get rid of her once and for all? _You and I both know what must be done._

Itachi forced his hands to uncurl and relax at his sides. Calm. He needed to stay calm. Breathing carefully, he strode down the last length of hallway to stand in the doorway to the kitchen. The sight that met him was not quite what he expected.

Deidara was sitting, bare-backed and turned around, in one of the chairs, legs on either side of the back. His arms were folded on the arched back of the chair, his chin resting on them with a pained scowl on his face. Kimi stood behind him, the long sleeves of her kimono tied behind her and out of the way of her working hands. Itachi could tell that the cloth had once been of fine quality, but now it was stained with black, tattered, and utterly ruined. The same dark soot marked Kimi's face as well and dulled her once-golden hair.

Kimi tucked an errant lock of hair behind her ear, leaving a smear of blood (Deidara's, much to Itachi's relief). That hand then returned to Deidara's back gently pressing the wound there closed as she removed the needle and thread that had been held between her lips. "Hold still," she reminded the boy as she reached down and began to carefully stitch up the wound.

The blonde artist winced and hissed in pain, but otherwise obeyed her command. Itachi watched passively from the doorway for a moment before commenting, "I was unaware you knew how to stitch wounds, Kimi."

Blinking in surprise, Kimi glanced briefly toward him before focusing back on the task at hand. "I know how to sew," she amended. "This isn't so different – just using a different medium is all." She gave the thread a sharp tug, pulling her most recent stitch tight.

Deidara gasped, knuckles turning white as he gripped the chair. "What was that for? Are you enjoying causing me pain, yeah?" he hissed back at her.

"It needs to be tight," Kimi replied patiently, "or it won't heal properly."

The boy gritted his teeth as she pulled another stitch through. "Right. If you ask me, I think you're secretly a masochist, yeah."

Itachi frowned at that comment, but Kimi merely laughed. After giving a soft sigh, the Uchiha cleared his throat. "Kimi, I'd like to have a word with you when you're done."

She glanced over at him curiously. "Um, alright. Am I allowed to get cleaned up first? I want to get out of this thing as soon as possible." She made a small motion with the needle-holding hand to indicate her ruined kimono.

Itachi nodded. "Come to my room when you're done." He turned on his heel and left her to finish tending to Deidara.

The young man tried to refrain from returning to pacing his floor as he waited for Kimi. She was back safe, a great relief to him, but now what? What had possessed him to ask to speak with her? What was he even going to say? He would have to play this by ear – make it up as he went along. That was not too hard. He had done it before.

A light knock came at his door sooner than he expected. Taking a deep breath, he called softly, "Come in."

Kimi opened the door and stepped inside. She was back to wearing her normal clothes – a dark blue wrap with sleeves covering her hands and baggy black pants. Her hair and skin were clean from soot, though the former was still wet from the quick shower she had apparently taken. Kimi's dark eyes met his. "You wanted to speak with me. Is there something wrong, Itachi?"

Whatever calm Itachi had collected shattered with the sound of her voice. He had previously thought she was safe, but he rapidly remembered that she in fact was not. She could _never_ be safe so long as she was around the Akatsuki. The emotions he had fought down earlier roared back with a vengeance, and Itachi moved swiftly over to the source.

He gripped her upper arms, pushing her up against the wall and demanding, "What were you _thinking?!_"

Kimi blinked in surprise and slight fear. "W-what?"

Itachi's voice was low and urgent, his eyes ablaze with emotion. "Kimi, you could have been _killed_. Why? Why did you do something so _stupid?!_"

"I-I didn't have much of a choice!" the young woman countered, regaining her bearings. "I was practically ordered to go with them."

"You're not a member of Akatsuki," Itachi pointed out sharply. "You don't have to follow orders like that. Pein can't _force_ you to do anything."

Kimi shook her head. "You're wrong. He can, Itachi. Besides, they needed my help. What was I supposed to do, turn them down? Refuse? I _helped_ them, Itachi, and I'm _glad_ I did." Her eyes fell slightly. "I'm glad I could've been of some use."

The Uchiha's grip on her arms slackened slightly as he studied her expression. "What do you mean by that?" he inquired softly.

She shook her head, closing her eyes. "I've always just been a burden to you, even when we first met in Konoha. What your father said – he was right, Itachi. And now . . . if I don't prove myself useful to Pein, he might make me leave, and I don't want to leave you, especially now that I've found you again." Her words trailed off, cracking slightly.

"Kimi," Itachi breathed.

The young woman sniffed slightly, lifting her head, and Itachi kissed her. He poured every emotion he felt toward her in that kiss, hoping that she would somehow understand what he was trying to tell her – what he could not say. When he pulled back, he met her wide eyes, drinking in her astonished expression.

Kimi held very still, lips slightly parted in surprise. "I-Itachi," she finally managed, her voice barely above a whisper. "I – I don't know what to say."

He released her arms, moving his hands to gently cradle her face. She blinked and focused on him, eyes searching his for something. "Then don't say anything," he whispered back, before leaning in and pressing his lips once more to hers.

--

Sasori stood before his Leader, watching passively as the man ran his hands over the jeweled box that contained the all-important scroll. "Excellent," Pein murmured. "Finally, our plans can truly begin." The man's ringed eyes lifted to peer at Sasori. "Is there anything else you wish to report?"

The red-headed puppet master blinked slowly before speaking. "Yes. It's about Kimi."

Pein lifted his eyebrows. "Oh? Go on."

Kimi's voice echoed in Sasori's mind. _I think you're a decent enough person not to spread the information far and wide or attempt to use me as Kishimoto did._ Kimi trusted him; he scowled. "She is a distraction," Sasori stated flatly. "She needs to go."


	29. XXIX

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

**Author's Note:** Yay. It didn't take me as long to get this one done! And guess what! This chapter connects to a section of 3 chapters that I've already written, so you definitely won't have to wait as long for the next. I won't put them all up at once, though, because I haven't written much of anything after them, and that'll delay later stuff. I'll spread them out so they last, okay? I know I left you all hanging with the last chapter. Sorry. I hope you enjoy this one!

XXIX

"I don't even know why I talk to you," Itachi stated with a frown, peering at his reflection as it mocked him silently. "You're just a figment of whatever little imagination that I have left – meaningless and unimportant."

At that statement, his reflection ceased his bout of unheard laughter, dropping his arms from his stomach and scowling at Itachi as if he had taken offense to those words. Though Itachi was not sure why, this unnerved him a bit. "Well, it's true," he muttered. "Dreams are a mind's way of processing and dealing with information, nothing more, and that's all you are – a dream."

His reflection nodded eagerly, waving his hands as if he wanted Itachi to continue. "What?" Itachi demanded.

The mirror-Itachi pointed at his "real" counterpart and then tapped his own eyes, grinning. Itachi blinked at him. "I see?" The reflection nodded rapidly and then continued on to a different motion – as if he was trying to catch something but failing. Itachi scowled and shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "No. Oh, no. I'm not playing charades with you."

His reflection looked disappointed, giving an over-exaggerated sigh and mouthing, _Why not?_

"Because it is unnecessary," Itachi replied flatly. "I can read your lips, even if I can't hear you, so just say what you're trying to say without all the waving of hands. You look like an idiot when you do that." His reflection stuck out his tongue and Itachi sighed. "I refuse to believe that you are me. I never act like that. I didn't as a kid, and I most certainly don't now. Just say it, already."

The mirror version of the Uchiha leveled a weary look at him before nodding and saying silently, _You're missing something._

"Oh? And what am I missing, then? Enlighten me."

His reflection shook his head, grinning and jabbing a finger at the real version of the two.

Itachi gave an annoyed growl. "I have to figure it out for myself? That's not very helpful of you." The reflection shrugged. "Fine. Anything else, or am I allowed to wake up now?"

The mirror-Itachi thought for a moment, rubbing his chin. Finally, he shook his head. Itachi nodded. "Alright, then how exactly do I wake up?" The reflection made a motion as if to tap the glass. "Break the mirror? How do I know that you won't take me to that forest place again?"

_Not tonight._

Itachi sighed. "Very well. I've had enough of your antics, anyway. Even if you are tricking me, wandering through that forest is better than dealing with you." He did not admit, though, that he would actually rather be in this void than witness Kimi's death again, which was always how the forest ordeal seemed to end.

Steeling himself for the worst, Itachi curled his hand into a fist and swung it at the mirror. Predictably, it shattered, throwing him into a harsh field of light. Itachi closed his eyes against the glare, allowing it to overtake him. When it faded, he kept his eyelids shut, scanning his surroundings with his other senses. Apparently, his reflection had not lied. He was back in bed, though something was missing. The warmth at his side – in his arms – was gone.

Itachi's eyes snapped open and he sat up, muscles tensing as he scanned the room with his Sharingan. Empty. Kimi was gone. A worried frown creased his face as he slipped out of bed and cast a glance at the clock on the wall. Noon? Already? That was strange. Itachi never slept in that late.

It was stranger, though, that Kimi had managed to slip from his grasp and leave his room without waking him up – for the second time no less. This troubled the shinobi slightly. He had always been a light sleeper. Any movement on her part would have usually roused him from his sleep, and yet it did not. He would definitely be having a word with her as to _how_ she managed to leave unnoted next time he had her alone to himself.

Filing that decision away for later, Itachi got dressed and began his hunt for Kimi. It did not take long to locate her, though, especially when he heard her familiar voice reaming Tobi out for something. A ghost of a smile touched Itachi's lips as he made his way toward the kitchen and peeked inside.

Kimi stood in front of the stove with her Akatsuki apron tied around her waist. One fist was on her hip while the other clutched a sharp knife, which she was currently shaking in Tobi's masked face. "Do you see this, Tobi?" she demanded sharply. "I have a knife in my hand. Do _not_ mess with me when I have a knife in my hand – _especially_ not to cover my eyes. One slip and I could have seriously injured myself. Do you understand?"

Tobi nodded quickly. "Yes, Miss Kimi. Tobi understands. Tobi is sorry. He didn't mean to upset you." The masked shinobi had his shoulders hunched, looking very much like a beaten puppy.

"I know, Tobi," the young woman replied, allowing herself to smile gently. "Just don't do it again, okay? Think before you act. I know you have a brain up there." She tapped the dull side of the blade against the "forehead" of his mask. "Use it sometimes, okay?"

"Tobi will. Tobi is a good boy!"

Kimi bobbed her head, accepting his answer. "Good, now shoo. I'll call you when the stew's ready." She waved him away and returned her attention to the cutting board beside the stove.

Itachi quickly ducked out of sight as Tobi left with too much cheer for one who had just been fussed at by an irate young woman with a rather sharp knife. Once the masked young man was well away from the kitchen, Itachi stepped out of hiding and moved silently into the room. If Kimi knew he was there, she did not react to his presence, continuing to chop up vegetables and dump them into the bubbling pot on the stove.

For a moment, a mischievous smile touched Itachi's face. He stepped up behind Kimi and slipped his arms around her waist without any forewarning. The woman stiffened for a moment before relaxing and lifting her knife away from the carrot she was currently working on. "Itachi," she sighed, "didn't you hear what I just told Tobi about messing with me while I'm chopping vegetables?"

Itachi chuckled softly, setting his chin on her shoulder. "But I'm not in the way, and you can still see what you're doing," he stated logically, his voice cool and smooth.

Kimi grunted. "Fine. Be that way."

He smirked triumphantly as she returned to chopping up the carrot into smaller bites. Itachi watched her work for a moment before turning his head and kissing her neck. He felt the shiver that crept down her spine. "Itachi!" she cried softly, fighting down the urge to giggle.

"Hmm?" he hummed against her skin.

The young woman tried to squirm out of his arms. "Stop that. You're distracting me," she weakly chastised him with a small laugh.

"Am I?"

"Yes, now stop it and let me go so I can finish this stew. People _do_ need to eat dinner around here, and they won't be happy with you if you delay it. The faster I get the ingredients in, the sooner it can actually start to stew and the sooner it'll be ready for dinner. Now _let go._"

Itachi chuckled again and briefly toyed with the idea of refusing. However, when he sensed the chakra signature now approaching their location, he quickly reconsidered. In the blink of an eye, he released her and moved back to lean against the wall half-way across the room from where she was cooking. Kimi glanced curiously at him over her shoulder. Her confusion, however, vanished when Sasori stepped into the room.

She nodded to him, speaking carefully. "Good day, danna."

The puppet man stiffly returned her motion before focusing on Itachi. "Leader has a mission for you," he stated. "Kisame has the details. The two of you are to leave immediately."

"Hn." Itachi straightened and swept out of the kitchen, not casting a single glance back in Kimi's direction.

They young woman gave a soft sigh before returning to her cooking. Sasori watched her silently as she finished the carrot and scraped it into the bubbling pot. As she grabbed another ingredient to apply the same treatment, she briefly glanced over her shoulder at him – as if confirming his presence – before returning to her task. "Is there something I can do for you, danna?" she asked, a slight waver in her voice.

"Not at the moment," he replied flatly.

"Ah, okay." For several long minutes, Sasori watched the girl work with steady eyes. His face held no emotion – gave nothing of his purpose away. He did not move, and after a time, Kimi seemed to forget he was even there, falling into the rhythmic motion of her current 'art' – cooking.

Finally, Sasori shifted, casting a glance out the doorway before moving to occupy the space against the wall that had previously been Itachi's. Roused from her task by his motion, Kimi glanced over at him. As she opened her mouth to question the puppet master, new movement in the doorway caught her attention, and she curiously looked that way.

Kimi froze as her dark eyes met pale grey rings. Though she had never seen the bronze-haired man now studying her from the doorway, she knew those eyes. They had studied her once before from the flicker of an astral projection. Pierced lips curved into a slight frown as the man folded his hands behind his back. Silence stretched on, daring someone to break it, until Kimi shifted, setting down the knife, turning to fully face the man, and bowing deeply.

"Leader-sama," she murmured in reverent greeting.

Pein's eyes narrowed slightly as he eyed the blonde girl. When she straightened her back, keeping her eyes downcast, he stepped the rest of the way into the room. "Kimi," he stated, watching with hidden amusement as she stiffened in response to his voice. "Something . . . disturbing has come to my attention."

He expected her eyes to flicker to Sasori, but they remained dutifully glued to the floor. Receiving no response to his words, he continued. "Our work here is delicate and soon will be bound by a tight schedule, with a very important deadline to meet. There cannot be anything to distract any of our members from their assigned tasks." Kimi closed her eyes, and he watched a slight shiver shake her frame.

"Under normal circumstances," Pein pressed on, "someone like you who knows far too much about the members of Akatsuki and their behaviors would prove to be too dangerous – even as a civilian – for me to merely dismiss and allow to go on their way." Kimi stiffened at the heavy implications in his words. The Akatsuki Leader allowed her to dwell on them for a moment before finishing the thought. "However, since you have proven yourself useful and even aided in the retrieval of an item very important to our goals, your life will be spared."

Finally, Kimi lifted her head to gaze at him with wide eyes. There was fear and alarm in her gaze, but it was quickly replaced by relief. "Th-thank you," she managed before turning her head downward once again.

Pein's ringed eyes studied her for a moment. "You will be out of my country by nightfall. If you ever show your face here again without my express permission, you _will_ be killed upon sight, regardless of your past usefulness." That said, he turned on his heels and vanished out the door.

Kimi remained unmoving, staring blankly at the floor. After several minutes of silence, Sasori stated, "I didn't tell him."

She closed her eyes, fisting her hands in her apron. "Then why?"

"You'll be safer the farther away you are from us," the puppet master stated softly. "It's only a matter of time before someone else finds out on their own. Neither I nor Itachi will be able to help you when that happens. This is for your own good."

The young woman lifted her head to meet his wine-colored eyes. "I don't want to go," she said weakly.

Sasori merely stepped away from the wall, sliding his gaze to focus on the doorway. "The brat and I will escort you out. From there, you're on your own."


	30. XXX

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village. Oh, and Taro. Been forgetting him. The few lines of prose later one are from "La Bella Dam sans Merci" by John Keats. (couldn't help the insert, sorry)

**Author's Note:** We have a slight time skip here, though only about a month. Kiri, you've been wondering when we'd get an insight into Kimi's mind? Well, you get a peek in this chapter -- third person limited to her point of view, mostly. Fun fun. There's a new song to be added to the soundtrack, though really it spans the next couple of chapters alongside this one -- "Mona Lisa Overdrive" by Don Davis. Long song -- action-packed -- from the highway scene in _The Matrix: Reloaded_. Fun fun. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it!

XXX

"Visitors for you, Kimi," Roku called back into the kitchen. "It's those cloud guys again."

Wiping her hands on her once-white apron, the blonde woman turned away from the stove and smiled. "Oh? Which ones?"

The restaurant owner shrugged his broad shoulders and shook his head. "These guys are new. I haven't seen them in here before." A slight frown touched his lips as he rested a hand on Kimi's shoulder, locking his mud-brown eyes with hers. "Those two look like trouble, Kimi. All those boys do, but I get an odd feeling from these ones." He shuddered.

Kimi's smile faltered slightly, but she shook her head. "Don't worry about it, boss." She winked at him. "I can handle myself, and you know it."

Roku chuckled. "I still don't know how you got that guy to behave himself. I've never been able to get him to listen to me."

"I'm a woman, boss," Kimi said with a grin. "We have those feminine wiles, remember?" She swung her hips as she moved toward the door, laughing when Roku rolled his eyes and shook his head in amusement.

"You really are something else, Kimi."

She grinned, waving a hand regally as she stepped out of the kitchen. Her steps faltered, though, when she turned her attention forward to her 'visitors'. Vibrant green eyes on a field of black locked gazes with her and narrowed slightly. Kimi swallowed as she glanced from the taller man to his companion, the latter of which smirked behind the tall neck of his cloak.

It had been about a month since the young woman had left the semi-permanent company of the Akatsuki. She had managed to acquire a job as a cook in a small restaurant on the border of River and Fire. The two countries were neutral enough toward each other to keep events quiet and peaceful. The location had actually been Deidara's suggestion, and Sasori had silently agreed.

The pair even visited every now and again, much to Kimi's amusement and Sasori's disapproval. Apparently, Deidara was not willing to give up the girl's cooking. Kimi suspected that Itachi knew of her location as well, but he never showed his face. The only Akatsuki team that ever appeared in the small village was the pair of artists.

At least, until now.

"So, uh, what can I get you boys today?" Kimi asked, finally managing to regain her voice.

"We've come to have a word with you," Kakuzu stated darkly.

The blonde woman wet her lips, "I see." After drawing a deep breath, Kimi turned and leaned her head into the kitchen. "Hey, Roku! I'm taking my lunch break!" She untied her apron and hung it on a peg inside the doorway.

Roku glanced over at her, surprise and slight worry passing momentarily across his features. "Alright. Be careful. Don't take too long, alright?"

Kimi nodded and ducked back into the main dining area. "Well, let's go for a walk, shall we?" she inquired with a slight shake in her voice, motioning her hands toward the door.

--

Sucking in a slow breath of misty air, Kimi paused in a small stretch of earth devoid of trees yet still shaded from the sun by those that towered around it. Her eyes had long since adjusted to the dim light, but that did not make the gloomy grove any less foreboding. A soft wind wove through the trees, brushing coolly against her face. There was salt in the air – the sea? She took another deep breath, filling and emptying her lungs slowly. She cherished the moment – relished in the cool feel of fresh air – bitterly wondering how many of such she would be able to draw.

Gathering her wits, Kimi turned to face the two men following her.

Taro had remained uncharacteristically silent throughout the entire trek; Kakuzu regarded her with a strange – almost hesitant – look in his eyes. He seemed to have to force his gaze away from Kimi to scan the surrounding trees. Taro, however, continued to glower at her over the neck of his cloak.

"Are you lost yet?" Kakuzu asked, eyes sliding back to Kimi's face.

The young woman winced and gave a sad smile. "I guess so. Probably." She rubbed the top of her left arm, watching the men through her eyelashes. "Well, you wanted to talk to me. I doubt anyone would wander out here to bother us. So, what is it?"

Kakuzu leveled his gaze on her and stated without any preamble. "Leader sent us."

Kimi's heart skipped a beat and then sped up, bringing a twisted smile to Taro's face – though he made no comment. Her legs felt like rubber, yet they remained rooted as firmly to the ground as the strongest tree. She gasped for air, forcing herself to calm down enough to speak.

"Is it Itachi?" she demanded, breathless. "Is something wrong? Has he been hurt? What happened?"

Kakuzu's eyes widened slightly at the conclusion to which the young woman had jumped and the rush of words spewing from her mouth. He coughed back a chuckle. "Nothing happened. Itachi's fine, though this does have something to do with him, I suppose."

Swallowing and breathing deeply, Kimi locked her gaze on Kakuzu's chest; she could not meet his eyes. There was something in those strangely-colored orbs that sent a chill down her spine and made her own chest tighten almost painfully. She waited for him to continue, her heart full of dread.

The half-masked shinobi clasped his hands behind his back. "Do understand that we do not serve often as messengers. Still, when a job requires such, messengers we must be."

Taro shot him an annoyed look. Kakuzu met his gaze briefly, cocked one eyebrow, and then turned back to Kimi. "Leader," he continued smoothly, "wanted us to explain something to you. Distractions are not permitted in the Akatsuki. When they arise, they are dealt with accordingly. Sometimes, if such distractions persist, more extreme actions must be taken to eliminate them."

The pointed tone of his voice caught Kimi's attention. _More extreme actions must be taken to eliminate them. _Her eyes slid hesitantly to Kakuzu's face. "I don't think I quite follow," she said slowly and carefully.

"You, my dear," Kakuzu stated coldly, "are a distraction."

_Now_ Kimi could not breathe. Fear gripped her lungs in an iron fist. Blood rushed to her head, pulsing in her ears. The world swirled around her, threatening to fall apart.

Kakuzu's voice broke through her panic, calm and steady. Was she imagining the regret in it? "Leader wishes you a _fond_ farewell."

Clinging to those words, Kimi pushed back to the surface. She was surprised to find her cheeks wet, but she did not lift a hand to wipe the tears away. Instead, she allowed them to silently flow, staring at the leaf-strewn ground.

"I don't suppose," she said faintly, "it would do me any good to run." Her voice was amazingly clear considering the hummingbird heart about to burst from her chest.

"No. It wouldn't," Kakuzu replied softly, voice somehow gentle.

A strange calm swept through Kimi. Her heartbeat slowed to a steady rhythm. The tears from her eyes ceased to flow. A soft sound replaced the rush of blood in her ears, faint and distant – the flutter of wings – the ruffle of feathers – the soft keen of a bird of prey.

A sudden thought rose to the front of her mind, a verse of a poem she had read during her travels.

_O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,_

_Alone and palely loitering?_

_The sedge has withered from the lake,_

_And no birds sing._

_No birds sing._ Kimi echoed softly in her mind, realizing for the first time that the forest was devoid of avian chatter. Could it be that the common birds could sense –?

"You really do love him, don't you?" Kakuzu's puzzled question interrupted the young woman's thoughts.

"Yes," Kimi replied in a whisper, the truth of what was to come returning to her – but with less force. "I love him."

It was not much of a revelation, but those two words – admitted aloud to someone other than Itachi – struck her like lightning. She loved him; she really did love him. They were not just words spoken in a moment of passion – they were true.

Kimi's heart swelled and a jolt of adrenalin kicked through her system. _It can't end like this. I have to run. I have to try. I can't just stand here and – _

She whirled, muscles tensing to sprint. Before she could take two steps, though, Kakuzu lifted a hand. Black threads burst from the ground at Kimi's feet. They formed into a writhing monster with an animal mask forming its "head." The thread creature whipped out one "arm" and snared Kimi's left wrist.

It tugged, pulling the young woman around to face the Akatsuki pair as a second beast burst on her other side, wrapping a firm hold on her other wrist. Kimi futilely tried to wrench herself free, but after a moment, she sagged in defeat.

Taro's double-bladed naginata appeared in his hands, pulled from a scroll tucked away somewhere in his cloak. Kimi's thoughts were foggy, but she managed to look to Kakuzu when he moved a hand to halt his partner's actions.

"Wait a moment," he said to the other man. When Taro growled a wordless protest, Kakuzu glared at him. "If you don't want me to fucking tear _you _to bits as well, you'll be patient and let me have my say." He turned his attention to their target. "You really shouldn't you know," he said casually. "Itachi isn't as wonderful as you think he is."

Kimi lifted her head to peer at him through her hair; her ribbon had slipped in the tussle, allowing loose chunks of hair to fall over her face. "What's that supposed to mean?" Her heart was not in the question.

The black-threaded creatures lessened their pull on her arms, though they did not release their hold. Kakuzu tilted his head to one side, his voice taking on a mocking tone.

"You know what happened to his clan." Kimi's jaw tightened and she nodded. Kakuzu continued. "From what I've heard, he told you that Sasuke blames him for it, but won't specify – or doesn't know – why. Well, he does know. There's a reason for Sasuke's hatred."

Fear and panic once more crept up on the edge of Kimi's heart, but she could not pull her gaze away from the green-eyed man.

"You see," Kakuzu said, "Sasuke knows who killed his clan – who massacred them. All of Konohagakure no Sato knows his name." Kimi's heart pounded now as Kakuzu leaned forward. "His name is Itachi Uchiha. Itachi killed them all – every man, woman, and child. His own family – his parents – he slaughtered them all like animals."

Kimi had fallen into hysterics. "No. No! Nonononono! He couldn't! He wouldn't! You're lying! He didn't do that! Not Itachi. Never. You're _lying_!"

Kakuzu shook his head. "I'm not lying to you, Kimi. Look at me. You know I speak truth." His voice softened, the uncertain twinge of regret returning. "He lied to you – deceived you."

Kimi moaned, tears speckling the dry leaves. "No . . . Itachi." She slumped, unable to hold herself upright of her own power. Pain ripped through her chest. She did not have to look at him. She knew – somehow she knew – he was right.

The keen in her ears became an angry hiss.

Kakuzu closed his eyes and turned away. "This is goodbye, then, Kimi."

Taro laughed sharply, speaking for the first time. "Yeah. Sayonara, bitch." He lunged forward, the blades of his staff flashing as it rose and then fell in a rapid downward slice that would cleave her in two.

--

Screaming. Blood. Kimi! Itachi awoke in a cold sweat, sitting up so rapidly that he startled Kisame from where he stood watch. The shark-like man peered down at his partner from up in the trees.

"Is something wrong?"

Itachi closed his eyes, focusing on breathing steadily. He had dreamed that dream again – that same nightmare that haunted him when he had first met Kimi. This time, though, they had both been older – matching modern times. This time, when she had fallen into his arms, covered in blood, she had spoken not his name, but a different word.

_"Why?"_

This time, when he looked up to meet the red gaze of the killer, it had not been his father or even Pein. He had looked upon himself, dressed in the garb of the ANBU – bloody sword in his hands – as he had been the night he –

Itachi shook his head. "Hn." _No. I'm fine._ He pushed himself to his feet. What was this feeling of dread?

"Are you sure?" Kisame pressed. "You look rather paler than usual."

Itachi merely stopped in the middle of brushing off his cloak and presented his partner with a sharp look accompanied by a wave of killing intent. Kisame rapidly and obediently dropped the subject.

"Well," the blue-skinned man coughed uncomfortably, "if you're awake, then let's get going."

Itachi nodded curtly, and the pair moved out. He avoided looking at the sky – painted red with the rising sun. He had never been squeamish at the sight of blood, but now his stomach turned as his mind recalled the vision of Kimi's on his blade – on his hands. A sense of foreboding washed over him.

"Kisame," he said softly, not breaking stride, "do you mind if we take a detour on the way back to base?" The question was only asked out of courtesy. Itachi was going to sidetrack regardless of his partner's answer.

Kisame seemed to sense this – and their destination – and stated hesitantly, "Leader-sama won't like it. He'll be furious."

"He doesn't have to know," Itachi countered faintly, his mind already racing onward. "We're ahead of schedule, anyway. We won't be missed."

Kisame sighed but relented, and as one they altered their course. Itachi's heart beat urgently in his ears as he ran, as if counting down seconds to disaster. He gritted his teeth, focusing on his destination.

_Please be okay,_ he silently willed. _Please don't let that dream be an omen._


	31. XXXI

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village. Oh, and Taro. Been forgetting him.

**Author's Note:** I'd meant to post this earlier, but when I was reading through it, I discovered some things I wanted to change. I even took out a section and moved it to the next chapter, making the ending of this one a bit cleaner (if still another cliff-hanger, sorry). Some people might say that Itachi is a tad bit OCC in this chapter, but I believe that he's developed enough throughout this fic to allow a small bit of his emotional control around his "co-workers" (so to speak) slip. So, yeah. I think it works. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

XXXI

It took longer than Itachi would have liked for them to reach their new destination. Itachi studied the small village for a moment – the village in which Kimi had found work – taken refuge. Everything looked peaceful from the outside. Steeling himself for the worst, he dropped down and started into the village, Kisame at his heels.

"We shouldn't be here," Kisame said softly.

"Shut up," Itachi snapped back, startling his companion.

Itachi turned a corner of the village and had to force himself to keep walking calmly forward when he spotted the owner of the small restaurant where Kimi worked standing outside and peering up and down the street worriedly. When the man caught sight of Itachi and Kisame, he looked hopeful for a moment, but as they got closer, his face fell again and the worry returned.

"Is something the matter?" Itachi asked flatly, pausing in front of the restaurant.

The owner gave a nervous laugh. "It's my best cook. She left about an hour ago for her lunch break and hasn't come back. I shouldn't be worried so much, since my other workers are usually worse about their break times, but Kimi usually takes her lunch here instead of going out. When she left, she looked kind of nervous, too. I don't blame her, though. Those men that wanted to talk to her looked like trouble."

"Men? What men?"

The man peered at Itachi. "They were dressed like you. The shorter one had bronze hair and the other one was wearing a mask over his mouth and had really strange eyes."

Itachi stiffened slightly. Taro and Kakuzu! But, what would they want with Kimi?

"Do you know them?" The owner asked, studying Itachi suspiciously.

For a moment, Itachi did not answer him, his mind racing through possibilities. Taro and Kakuzu were never Kimi's biggest fans. Why would they come here, then? His heart skipped a beat. There could only be one reason.

"Which way did they go?" he demanded of the man, a bit too sharply than he meant.

The owner took a step back, startled by the intensity in Itachi's red eyes. "Th-they went that way," he stuttered, pointing down the road toward a line of trees. "But the village ends there. They had to have gone into the woods."

Itachi did not bother to thank the man. He sprinted down the street, the sleeves of his cloak fluttering out behind him as he tucked his arms back to streamline his body. He had no time to waste – no time to lose. Kimi's life was on the line. The only reason Taro and Kakuzu would even consider seeking out Kimi would be by Pein's orders, and there was only one thing that the Leader of Akatsuki would order concerning Kimi.

Her death.

The young man raced through the trees – the Sharingan in his eyes searching for any sign of passage – his ears open and listening for any hint of human life. Itachi stumbled suddenly to a halt. The forest was silent. There were no birds. His heart pounded in his chest as his mind comprehended this fact.

Kisame came up behind him. "What's with you, Itachi? First you dash off without any warning, as if the world's going to end, and now you're just standing here? What's going on?"

Itachi shushed him. "Listen. What do you hear?"

After a moment, the blue-skinned man answered, "Nothing."

"Don't you think that's strange? There aren't any birds."

Kisame thinks for a moment. "They could be reacting to us," he suggested.

Itachi shook his head, scanning the trees warily. "They've never done that before. There are always birds, except . . ." _Except when Kimi's around._ For the first time, it clicked in his mind. All the times that there were no birds – every single time he noticed an extreme difference in avian activity – was when Kimi was around – no exceptions.

"She's here," he breathed. Dashing forward, he started yelling her name. "Kimi! Kimi, where are you?" He did not care if this outburst of emotion would ruin his reputation. He needed to find her. _Now._

There was no answer, but Itachi soon came across a small opening in the trees that harbored something rather troubling. The ground was marked by two rather deep holes, as if something had burst from beneath the surface. The leaves in the space between these holes had been disturbed, indicating a struggle. Itachi's eyes fell upon two very distinct shapes – two halves of a thick log. He stepped over to them, inspecting the sliced wood. A replacement jutsu.

"Itachi," Kisame grunted, bending over and lifting something off of the ground. The object fluttered in the slight breeze. A black ribbon.

Itachi took the ribbon from his partner, looking between it and the log. Had someone rescued her? There was no doubt in Itachi's mind that this place marked where Taro and Kakuzu had made their move against the woman, but who had come to her rescue?

He rose to his feet, scanning the surrounding area. There was no sign of the other Akatsuki team. They had no doubt gone after Kimi and her rescuer – whoever that was. Itachi gritted his teeth. He had to find her before they did.

A shriek of pain split the air, making Itachi stiffen and whirl. His heart froze. _Too late._ Crying out her name, he ran.

--

Kimi skidded to a halt, heart hammering in her chest. She stared down over the edge of the cliff at her feet – at the water crashing below. _Not good._ She took a step back, and turned to run in a different direction. She had to get away!

"A replacement jutsu," Taro's voice stated from behind her, making her freeze mid-step. "So, you _are_ a shinobi, though I don't know how you did it without making any hand signs." He grunted. "It seems you've been deceiving Itachi as much as he's been deceiving you." The man snorted and spat, "Bitch."

Breathing rapidly, Kimi turned to face her pursuers. "I didn't lie to him," she said softly. "Technically, I'm not, since I never graduated from an academy. I put that life behind me a long time ago and swore never to use another jutsu ever again."

Kakuzu narrowed his green and black eyes. "It seems you broke that promise."

"You forced my hand."

Taro scowled. "Why are you running, anyway? You can't get away from us. You can't escape. Stand and fight like the shinobi you are." He pointed his naginata at her, sneering the word 'shinobi'.

Kimi's eyes dropped to the ground. "I don't know, really. I guess it's just instinct." For the first time since she had made that oath, she did not argue the shinobi point – she did not contradict his words. _He's right._

Snorting, Taro shifted his weapon into both hands. "Well, you can run all you want, but we have our orders, and we're not going to let you live." He jumped toward her. "So if you're not going to fight, then just stand still and die!"

_Don't listen to him! Move!_ Kimi dodged to one side, the wide blade missing her by bare inches. Snarling, Taro shifted his attack, swinging the other side of the bladed staff horizontally at her legs. Gasping, Kimi jumped and flipped over his head, landing behind him and dancing back several steps before wincing and dropping to one knee, grasping her shin. Blood trickled between her fingers.

Taro chuckled, watching the thin trail of blood sliding down one of the blades of the naginata. "Too slow," he mocked, slipping into an offensive stance and watching her with sickeningly gleeful eyes.

_No! You've got to get out of here! _Kimi blinked her eyes against the tears building. "It's over," she murmured, forcing herself to stand. "Just go."

Taro glanced at her, spinning the staff slowly above his head as he stepped toward her. "What was that?" He lunged forward, sweeping the blades in a lightning-fast strike.

Kimi ducked down, snatching a broad stone from the ground and bringing it up to block the second blade. She gritted her teeth against the force of holding back the attack but made no move to counter it – only block. Taro's lips peeled back in a laughing snarl. "Pitiful. Your heart's not in it. That's why you'll fail. That's why you'll _die_!"

He pulled the blade away, twisting to plant a solid kick in Kimi's chest. The girl wheezed, stumbling backwards. Her vision swirled, clearing too late for her to properly dodge the next blade.

Kimi cried out in pain, hugging her now-bleeding arm against her chest as the stone in her hand clattered to the ground. That one had brushed the bone. Her knees buckled in agony, but she managed to stay upright – managed to stay conscious. _Fight back! You don't have to die! What about our contract?! Do something!_ She gritted her teeth. "I can't."

Taro advanced again. "You can't what?"

Kakuzu scowled from behind him. "Stop playing, Taro, and kill her." He sounded impatient – disgusted, almost.

The man glanced from his partner to the woman, watching pain and sorrow running circles across her face. Was there anger there too? He did not care. Taro shrugged. "Alright," he grunted and lunged forward, thrusting the naginata through her chest.

Kimi drew a sharp breath, lifting a shaking hand to touch the shaft of the staff. "No," she choked.

Taro jerked the blade out of her and grabbed a handful of her shirt. He leaned close to her, lips brushing her ear. "You disappointed me, Kimi," he murmured softly. "You had my hopes up. I expected this to be fun."

With a harsh laugh, he pushed her back toward the cliff edge. Blood poured from her wound, disregarding the hand she pressed against her chest. Faintly, she heard someone yelling her name as she continued to stumble back and tumbled over the cliff. Air howled past her ears, as the crash of waves against rock rose in a crescendo of sound.

Then, it all vanished, leaving darkness, silence, and a single, angry voice. _Damn it all. Must I do everything myself?_

--

Itachi rushed headlong through the trees. "Kimi!" Where was she? Why had she screamed? Had they caught her? What about her savior? His heart slammed against his chest, threatening to burst. Something was wrong. He could feel it. _Oh, Kami, no. Please, no. No. No. NO!_

Kisame called out to him from behind, but he did not answer. There was only one thing on his mind – Kimi. He broke through the trees to find Taro wiping blood from the blades of his naginata. The man looked up and threw him a dark smirk. "Well, hello, Itachi."

Itachi stared at the thick pool of red near the cliff edge. He could not move. "You killed her," he stated blankly, not sure if he was asking a question or merely voicing fact.

Kakuzu peered at him for a minute before answering. "They were Pein's orders. Do you have a problem with them?"

Slowly, Itachi tore his eyes away from the puddle of blood – Kimi's blood – to gaze flatly at Taro. The bronze-haired man stiffened, hands tightening around the shaft of his duel-bladed staff as if preparing for a fight. "We have another set of orders, too," Taro declared. "If you cause any problems as a result of this, we're supposed to deal with you as well."

Behind Itachi's blank mask, his blood boiled; Kimi had been no threat to any of them. She was a distraction, maybe, but not nearly as much as she had been when she was actually _living _with the Akatsuki. She had left. They had let her go. What right did Pein have to order her death now? Why did he do it? Why? Why? _Why?!_

"So," Taro continued, his hands tightening around his duel-bladed naginata. "Do you have a problem with this?"

Itachi's hands curled into fists, fire burning behind his eyes. His muscles tensed, ready for a fight. It would not take much to deal with this man – the one who killed his love. Yes, that was what she was, he realized, suddenly. His love. He _loved_ her, and Taro had taken her away from him. The flames behind his eyes burned hotter, his anger boiling. No, it would not take much. A single Amaterasu would deal with him nicely.


	32. XXXII

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village. Oh, and Taro. Been forgetting him.

**Author's Note:** Well, it's time to reveal the "contract" Kimi mentioned to Sasori . . . as well as the reason behind the title to this fic. This is the last of the full, pre-written/edited chapters, so I'll be working from scratch for the next few. I'm estimating perhaps three more chapters after this one until the end of Part II, and though I have a basic idea of what happens in each, they might take some time to write since there's probably going to be a lot of symbolism as well as looking into Kimi's past (which I'm still working out the details). Hopefully, it won't take too long, but bear with me, please, if it does. Oh, and WARNING! There is some foul language in this chapter! Otherwise, I hope you enjoy it!

XXXII

"Itachi, don't," Kisame warned from behind when his partner tensed slightly.

"Yeah, let _me_ deal with the traitorous bastard, because that fucking _hurt!_" a voice snarled from the cliff side.

Itachi's heart skipped a beat. That was Kimi's voice! His stomach tightened. Something was not right, though. Her voice was distorted somehow – twisted nearly beyond his recognition.

Taro's eyes widened as he turned toward the cliff. "What?"

A blood-stained hand reached up over the cliff's edge, followed by another – an arm – a shoulder – a head. Golden hair flashed freely in the light of the high sun. It was Kimi after all, eyes closed tight with the effort of pulling herself back onto level ground.

"That is why I hate most people," Kimi continued. "Just when she starts to get comfortable with life, bastards like you ruin _everything!_ Granted, she has never had people actually try to _kill_ her like this before, but still! What is it about human beings that makes it so damn difficult for you to see other people _happy_?"

Itachi slid one foot back. This was Kimi – but it was not. Her voice – her attitude – the malicious curve of her lips – none of it was right! On top of that, as he watched, violet steam seemed to rise from her skin. Waves of power rolled off of her – an immense concentration of chakra and killing intent that struck Itachi's senses like a punch in the gut from the legendary sanin Tsunade.

Taro stared at her. "What the hell?"

Chuckling darkly – a sound very unlike Kimi's usual laughter – the woman opened her eyes. Itachi sucked in a sharp breath. No longer were they a familiar deep indigo; her eyes pulsed with inner light, shifting through various shades of violet like some sort of plasma.

Those strange eyes lingered on Itachi for a moment before focusing on Taro. "What is the matter, mountain brat?" she asked harshly. "You look like you have seen a ghost. Oh, that is right." She took a step toward him. "You just killed Kimi, stabbing her through the heart with that little stick of yours. Well, it is too bad for you that she does not have a heart anymore." Kimi – or whatever this creature was – threw a thumb in Itachi's direction. "Lover-boy here already tore it to bits." Itachi's stomach twisted even further into a knot.

The ex-Mountain Ninja broke from his stupor, gritting his teeth. "Well, I guess I'll just have to take off your head, then," he stated with as much bravado as he could muster, fighting against the sickening fear that rose unbidden in his chest.

She tilted her head to one side in a jerky motion strangely reminiscent of a bird and smirked. "Well, what are you waiting for? I am not standing here so we can chit-chat all day."

Taro snarled, but Itachi stepped forward cautiously before he could do anything. "What's going on here? Kimi?"

The woman did not even look at him. "I shall deal with you later, Uchiha," she stated, words dripping with malice. "Right now, I think it is time I show this little boy what happens when someone betrays me. I used to be the guardian of those mountains until you people _presumed_ to be able to tame me – control me. Ha!"

Kimi threw her head back with a harsh laugh before glowering once more at the boy in question. "When you all first woke me from my slumber – settled in my land – I allowed you to exist there out of the goodness of my heart, and this is how you repay me? How you repay either of us? You are lucky she is such a smooth talker -- _had_ such a big heart. Otherwise, we would not have just _left_ the village. I would have _leveled _it."

Taro stared at her, visibly shaking now, though Itachi could not tell if it was from fear or anger. "You . . ." he breathed.

"You want to try to take my head boy?" Kimi asked sweetly. She beckoned to Taro with one finger. "I shall very much enjoy watching you try."

Itachi could not move or breathe as Taro shifted his weight and lunged toward the woman he loved. This could not be happening. This was not real. The figure standing before him was some twisted mockery of the blonde enigma he had fallen for. There was no way this could possibly be Kimi. _No way!_ She spoke as if she was something else – something apart from Kimi. What, then, was she?

For all his questions, Itachi could do nothing but stand there, unmoving in his shock, as Taro attacked. Though he never saw her move, the ex-Mountain ninja somehow missed his target, stumbling to a halt past the woman. Kimi smirked, unfazed. "Were you aiming for me?" She cackled as she turned and started to walk slowly toward the man.

Taro cursed and whirled the naginata, slashing downward at the top of her head. Kimi continued to smile as she stepped smoothly to one side. Her fist shot out and impacted with the blade aimed at her head, despite the speed at which it traveled. The metal cracked and shattered, falling harmlessly to the ground in bright shards.

"I have been wanting a chance to stretch my wings," she stated lazily, wrapping her hand around the shaft of the now-one-bladed staff. "Ever since the contract became binding, I have felt so cooped up – so caged in."

Eyes wide in panic, Taro released his hold on the naginata and jumped back, kunai knives appearing in his hands.

"Now, what was that old saying again?" Kimi murmured softly. "Ah, yes. 'Killing two birds with one stone.' I never really cared for it, but I guess it fits the situation."

Gritting his teeth, the bronze-haired shinobi flung his kunai at Kimi. She did not even flinch as she lazily – though with the speed and precision of a seasoned fighter – deflected the knives. A dark smile touched her lips as the blades clattered to the stone several feet behind her. "Missed me," she taunted with a light giggle – a twisted mockery of the bubbly laugh Itachi knew.

After a heartbeat, Kimi resumed her stalk toward Taro, her violet aura of chakra sweeping out behind her like a cloak – no – like wings. It seemed to be constantly shifting and changing, like fire given form. Her eyes grew brighter, pupils shrinking to tiny dots. She locked her gaze on Taro and he stared right back with fear plain in his eyes. Kimi's stride seemed to take on a seductive edge, eyelids dropping slightly and body moving lithely forward with the grace of a cat stalking its prey.

The man did not move as his breathing became uneven. "I – know you," he gasped, voice barely audible above the crash of waves against the cliff.

"Taro," Kakuzu warned, the stitches on his wrists slowly coming undone. He had held back, following the boy's previous wish of being allowed to deal with the girl himself, but now things were going too far. It was time to interfere.

But Taro did not heed the warning – did not move as his eyes widened in realization. "You're that phoenix girl."

Kimi chuckled softly, ignoring the green-eyed man. "Indeed. So, what do you say, Taro?" she murmured, touching a slightly clawed finger beneath his chin. "Fly with me? Die with me?" Before anyone could take another breath, she jerked the naginata upward, sliding its blade through Taro's stomach and up into his chest cavity. He gasped in pain and coughed, blood flecking his lips. She grinned, her cheek brushing his almost lovingly as she breathed in his ear, "You tried to take her Life, so now yours belongs to me."

"Kimi, stop!" Itachi cried, jumping toward her, but a sudden gust of hot wind pushed him back. He blinked, and the pair was gone. Itachi's eyes snapped up. _Fly with me._ Could she? Sharingan blazing, he scanned the sky as Kakuzu spat a loud curse. In Kimi's absence, the petrifying effects of her chakra aura were broken, allowing the three remaining men to move freely once more.

"What the hell _is_ she?" the stitch-ridden man demanded.

"I don't know," Itachi admitted, eyes finally spotting a dark speck among the clouds – slightly violet around the edges.

Kisame snarled softly. "We'd better go after them." His hand was on the giant sword strapped to his back, which was shifting hungrily beneath its bindings in reaction to the chakra aura that had been emanating from Kimi only moments before.

"No," Itachi stated flatly. The two Akatsuki members looked at him, but before Kakuzu could object, he continued. "I'll take care of it." He started back into the woods. "She's my responsibility, anyway."

"Leader's orders are to kill her," Kakuzu reminded him as he passed.

"I know."

"You have ten minutes. Then we're coming after you. She'd damn well better be dead by then. If she's not, then we're going to finish the job ourselves."

"Hn." _I know. _Itachi vanished into the shadows.

--

Itachi smelled the result of Kimi's fight with Taro – or rather slaughter – before he saw it, following the acrid scent of blood and death on the wind up into more rugged terrain. Jagged boulders jutted up among younger trees, probably the result of some long-forgotten battle between two powerful shinobi. As he rounded a particularly large rock structure, Itachi was immediately thankful that he had a strong stomach. The amount of blood splattered across dirt and stone was almost unfathomable.

Taro lay limp on his back at the top of one of the larger stones, obviously the victim of a drop from a large height, though Itachi suspected that his "fall" was aided by a kick or two to the chest. Speaking of his chest, Kimi was perched on it, crouching over him and looking very much like a predator contemplating her prey.

As Itachi watched, she reached down with bloodstained hands to cradle Taro's head with surprising tenderness, turning his face to look at her. Her expression was sickeningly amused.

Kimi smiled, teeth flashing. "That was fun, boy." She patted his cheek. "We should do this again sometime, hey?"

Taro, of course, could not answer her; he was very much dead. She lifted her gaze from him to peer over at Itachi. After a moment, she released Taro's head, allowing it to drop rather heavily back down on the rock.

Her victim apparently forgotten for the moment, Kimi hopped down off of Taro's chest to face Itachi. "I see you came alone," she stated. "You are a brave man, Uchiha . . . or foolish."

Itachi stepped toward her. "Who are you?" he demanded flatly.

The woman laughed coldly, opening her arms. "Why, do you not recognize me, love? I am Kimi."

He scowled. "No, you're not. Kimi would never do – this." He glanced momentarily at Taro, utterly broken on the jagged rocks.

She shrugged. "Perhaps not, but Kimi and I have long since become one and the same." The woman placed a bloody hand against her red-stained chest. "Though soon, I shall be the only one left. A body without a heart and soul after all is only an empty shell, and the Kimi you know is quickly fading away. No doubt she will break the contract so I do not perish with her. She always was a kind-hearted girl. After that happens, there will be no need for me to keep this body alive. I suppose I shall have to move on, though I am not fond of the thought. In a way, I should be grateful to that traitorous village. Kimi and I were truly compatible, more so than any other."

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?"

Kimi scowled. "It is none of your business, Uchiha."

The Sharingan swirled in Itachi's eyes as he moved even closer to her. She only laughed and smiled, lifting one eyebrow. "Are you going to use _that_ against me, boy? Against your precious Kimi? You do not have the –"

Before she could finish her statement – her taunt – Itachi grabbed her chin, activating his Mangekyo Sharingan. Unlike other times he used this skill, though, Itachi did not intend to torture his victim. He wanted to talk – to get explanations – which would definitely take more than his allotted ten minutes.

As soon as he entered the world of the Tsukuyomi, however, Itachi realized that something was not at all right. Everything was black – an empty void – and Kimi was not with him. Itachi frowned and focused on altering the terrain into something more familiar – perhaps the meadow he used to meet Kimi in as a child. Nothing changed. A sense of déjà-vu overcame Itachi, and his heart started hammering faster in his chest.

"What the _hell_ do you think you are doing, boy?!"

The voice that shrieked from behind Itachi was accompanied by a blast of pure chakra that forced him to stumble forward a few steps. This voice, though, was not entirely new; he had heard an echo of it in Kimi's words. Could this be the 'other' Kimi?

Itachi turned slowly to face the speaker. His breath seemed to be sucked from his lungs when his eyes rose to meet the smoldering gaze of the voice's owner. A giant phoenix bird of violet flames towered over him, wings spread wide and eyes burning with barely-contained fury. Long feathers whipped out behind and above the great beast, like several separate tails. How many?

Before Itachi could count them – identify what this creature might be – the bird's eyes narrowed in a lip-less sneer. "Thirteen," it – no – she stated.

Itachi blinked. Thirteen? How could that be?

The phoenix seemed to read his mind. "There were once far more than just nine of my kind – spirits of the earth and sky and sea. Before mankind tamed this land, it belonged to us. The nine bijuu, as you call them, are fairly young in comparison to the world – given birth to these lands by the hatred and malice of mankind."

"What about you?"

The beast chuckled. "I have many names. We all do. Since true names hold power, and that is not something given lightly, you may call me Juusanbi. I am one of the few Ancients remaining."

"There are more of you?"

Juusanbi hissed, suddenly defensive. "I do not have to answer your questions, Uchiha. Now, get out!"

Itachi held his ground as a wave of heat and malice washed over him. "Where is Kimi?" he demanded, putting as much force as he could muster behind the demand.

The phoenix studied him for a moment before laughing loudly and harshly. "Do you think you can intimidate me, mortal? I am _so_ sorry to inform you that your precious 'killing intent' is wasted on me." Again, she seemed to sneer at him, though the expression was limited to her eyes do to the lack of a mouth to twist.

Fighting off the fear rising in his chest, Itachi repeated his question. "Where is she?"

Juusanbi cocked her head, amusement filling her voice. "You have guts, Uchiha. I shall give you that." She folded her wings and moved to the side. "She is right here."

Kimi's frail form came into view, lying prone on the dark floor of the void – if this void did indeed have a floor. Throwing caution to the wind, especially considering the proximity of this demon (or "Ancient" as she seemed to prefer), Itachi moved swiftly to her side and knelt. He touched her cheek – icy cold. "What's wrong with her?" he asked.

"I told you already. Were you not listening? Her heart and soul is dying all thanks to you. You broke her heart, and her soul soon followed. I am all that is left in this now-dreary place that was once her mind. I can return her Life, but she will not take my offered hand." The great phoenix shifted her wings. "So to speak, of course."

Itachi rested a hand over Kimi's heart. He could feel a bare heartbeat beneath her chest. She was still alive – if only just. "What can I do?" he asked.

"Do?" Juusanbi scoffed. "You have done enough already, _Uchiha_. Get out and leave her to die with some shred of peace."

"I won't let her die!" Itachi snapped fiercely, turning on the giant beast.

Juusanbi peered down at him carefully, long neck arched back in response to his outburst. Her eyes seemed to pierce his very soul. After an eternal moment of silence, she inquired, "Would you be willing to give your Life to save her?"

"Yes." He spoke without hesitation.

The great bird turned her head, directing her blazing eyes over Itachi's shoulder. The young man turned and drew in a sharp breath. A mirror had appeared in the void – a mirror that he had definitely seen before. Now Itachi realized why this place seemed so familiar. It was just like his dreams – his nightmares – all down to the simple mirror standing before him in the darkness.

"That," Juusanbi explained, "is the doorway into what I suppose you could call Kimi's Memories, though I am not sure that is the best title to give what lies beyond. There is no real term for it. Kimi's heart and soul has fled into that realm of her mind – the only one remaining intact for the time being. The others might be recoverable, but . . ." Her voice trailed off suggestively. After a moment, she continued. "Should you choose to venture in there to retrieve Kimi's 'self', be warned. You will find more than just the woman you seek beyond that mirror."

Itachi stepped over to the object as Juusanbi spoke on. "There you will encounter what Is and what Was – what Might Have Been and what Might Still Be – if you succeed of course. What you find there can only be described as snapshots of my ward from various stages in her life – versions of herself frozen forever in time. You must find the one from here and now and return here with her before your time to use the Mangekyo runs dry."

The shinobi glanced back at her. "What happens then?"

"I will not be able to help you, and Kimi will die. Know that if she dies, Uchiha, her blood is on your hands."

Itachi swallowed and looked back at the mirror. There was no question that he had to go through with this, but would he be able to succeed? Would Kimi still trust him enough to return? What if she hated him and chose to die? What would he do?

"You have a little over seventy-one hours," Juusanbi stated softly. "Use them wisely, Itachi, and be careful in there. Things are not always as they appear."

He nodded to her and touched the mirror lightly with his fingertips. "So, how do I go through?" The question had barely left his lips when the surface of the mirror became like liquid and pulled him through into blinding light.


	33. XXXIII

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village. Oh, and Juusanbi now too. The old firebird's mine. haha

**Author's Note:** Sorry it's taken me so long to get this up. Work's taken a lot of time, so I'm spending most of my off days spending quality time with my family. Not much time to just sit and write, y'know? To my dear Kiri, I've fixed a couple of the problems in the last chapter, especially that "killing intent" point. I hope the new statement flows a little better. Thanks again for your input! I hope you all enjoy this new chapter! I'll do my best to get the next out sooner.

XXXIII

Itachi's feet touched dirt and stone. He lifted an arm to shield his face from the glare of the sun as it rose above a distant line of mountains. "Well, that was different," the young man muttered faintly.

Slowly, his eyes adjusted to the light and he peered down into the valley below. Sunlight glittered green off of the blanket of trees that stretched out before him. One tree stood out from all the others, towering high above the common canopy – its branches stretching up and out as if to embrace the sky. Alone, the massive tree cast perhaps a third of the valley in cool shade, its leaves shining purely green in the high sun.

The tree seemed to capture and hold Itachi's attention, his heart speeding up without any heed to his wishes. He knew this tree, and in a sudden epiphany, he realized why. It stood in the heart of his dreams. It was at that tree that he always encountered Kimi. It was beneath its branches that he knew in his heart he would find her.

Itachi lowered his arm and turned his attention to the cliff at his feet. Even he as a shinobi would not take that distance – that incredible drop – in one leap. His eyes found the thin, winding path – barely wide enough for a single person to walk – that led down the near-sheer rock face. As much as he wanted to rush, it would be suicide to attempt any daredevil feats.

Especially considering the fact that he could not feel his chakra.

Itachi closed his eyes, one hand sliding into a half-Tiger as he sought the missing warmth of his chakra coils. A frown touched his lips as he found nothing – not even the smallest spark. He opened his eyes again and inspected the world around him, noticing for the first time that though the colors were bright and vibrant around him, they lacked the intricate detail he had become accustomed to. This could only mean one thing; his Sharingan was no longer active.

Indeed, the pool of ice behind his eyes was gone, leaving behind an odd sort of emptiness that greatly unsettled the Uchiha. His kekkei genkai had become such an integral part of his daily life, that even a moment without it made him feel like a fish out of water. The very fact that it – and his chakra – were inexplicably _gone_ disturbed him even more.

The sun was now fully risen above the mountain line, its glare slightly lessened due to its new angle. Dropping his hand back to his side, Itachi moved carefully toward the path he had located in the cliff side. It was tedious work, descending the thin path, loose rocks sliding beneath his feet every now and then. He kept a hand on the flat edge, catching himself the handful of times he nearly lost his footing.

By the time Itachi's feet touched solid ground, his heart was pounding in his chest and the palms of his hands were sweating. He lifted those hands and stared at them, watching them shake with small tremors. His eyebrows furrowed at the open display of emotion. This was not like him. What happened to his strict control? Had it been lost with his chakra?

Pushing those thoughts aside, Itachi focused on the task at hand. He glanced up at the sky – at the angle of the sun. Apparently, he had lost at least an hour in his descent, probably more. His frown deepened as his eyes shifted to scan the forest stretching out before him. He still had three days. Surely, it would not take that long to locate Kimi, even if he had to comb the entire valley. It was not too big of place, after all.

Face set to a mask of determination, the Uchiha moved into the darkness of the thick forest. He kept to the ground, not trusting himself to be able to manage tree-hopping without his chakra to catch and balance him. That is not to say that his physical fitness without chakra enhancement would not be adequate for the most common mode of ninja travel. He would rather play it safe than sorry. Injuries would only slow him down.

A flash of brilliant blue through the trees caught Itachi's attention, and he slowed in his trek through the thick foliage. "Kimi?" he called, peering in the direction of the out-of-place color. Nothing.

Itachi thought to his dreams. Would he have to chase her down? Would he have to catch her? A sinking feeling took hold in his stomach. Were there things here that would hurt her – kill her – as they did in his dreams?

He took one step toward the vision – then another. Soon, he was rushing through the brush, driven by some instinctive need to save – to protect. He could not let Kimi fall to the fate he had brought upon her. He had to save her somehow.

"Kimi!"

Bright sunlight washed over him as he burst into a break in the trees. The sight that met his eyes, however, was not what he expected. A gold-haired child – no older than Sasuke had been at the time of the clan massacre, if not younger – lowered her face from basking it in the sun to blink wide, dark blue eyes at him.

She was barefoot, dressed in tan shorts and a blue t-shirt that seemed two sizes too large for her slender frame. Her hair fell loose to just below her shoulders. A small breeze brushed between them, shifting an errant lock of hair in front of the child's eyes, wide with surprise and alarm.

"I-I'm sorry?" the child asked shakily. "Do – do I know you, s-sir?"

Itachi stared at her, not quite comprehending what his eyes were telling him. "Kimi?" he inquired faintly. The young girl nodded shyly. "But how? You're a child! You should be . . ."

Comprehension flickered through the child's eyes. "Y-you're new here," she stated. It was Itachi's turn to nod. The girl smiled sadly. "I-if you g-go around yelling like that, y-you won't last v-very long out here in th-the open. N-none of us d-do." She turned and moved toward the opposite line of trees.

Stepping toward her, Itachi called, "Wait! What do you mean by that?"

The young Kimi turned back to him, her face grim. "Th-this is no-man's land," she stated. "The O-Other's sometimes hunt here." With that, she vanished into the darkness.

"Others? What others? Hey!" There was no answer. The child was gone.

Itachi pulled his outstretched hand to his mouth, eyebrows furrowing. What had compelled him to shout? Such a slip in decorum was unlike him. He stared after the girl, considering following her but ultimately deciding against it. If these "Others" were on the prowl, then he would have to find some sort of safe base of operations – in case his hunt took longer than expected.

After glancing up at the sky to discern his position in relation to the tree – his destination – Itachi continued his trek through the dense foliage. Time passed, as he moved deeper into the eerily silent forest. Itachi kept his focus forward, not allowing his mind or feet to stray from his current path. Still, though, no matter how long he walked, he never seemed to get any closer to the giant tree in the center of the valley.

As the sky began to turn the colors of fire, Itachi slowed to a halt and turned his eyes back to the canopy. His eyebrows furrowed, lips turning downward in a faint scowl of frustration. Why? Why had he not arrived yet? The valley was not _that_ big. He should have arrived at the base of the tree hours ago.

Sighing softly, Itachi moved to continue on. He had not taken two steps before something blue and gold came barreling out of the brush and into his chest. Startled – for he had not heard the figure approaching – Itachi took a step back and grasped the shoulders of the person that had run into him. He was not very surprised, though, when the golden-haired child lifted her head to reveal herself to be Kimi. He was not expecting the recognition followed by fear that shone plainly in her eyes.

This Kimi, though older than the last, was far younger than the one he was looking for. She appeared to be around the age that he had first met her – no older than ten years. Itachi fought back a flood of memories as he released her, forcing himself to speak. "Are you alright?"

"What do you think?" she countered quickly – almost sharply – before biting her lower lip and casting a nervous look over her shoulder.

Narrowing his eyes at her choice of response, Itachi followed the girl's gaze into the darkness of the forest. "What is it?"

Kimi pushed past him. "One of the Others," she grunted before vanishing back into the woods.

This time, Itachi chose to follow her. He was not getting any closer to the tree, so maybe there was a trick to navigating this place. If he was to find his Kimi – as he had come to refer to her, considering how many there possibly were here – he would need to know that trick. Where better to learn it than from one of the inhabitants?

"What others?" he demanded as he caught up to the fleeing girl.

She hesitated briefly before answering. "A dark path – one that Might Have Been – one that Failed To Be. Some of them are strong enough to manifest here. They're dangerous." She cast a sideways glance at him. "If you see one, run. Do your best not to call attention to yourself."

"How will I know."

Kimi snorted. "Trust me. You'll know. They're pretty easy to spot."

Itachi frowned thoughtfully. Could this have been what Juusanbi had been warning him about when she told him to be careful? Faintly, he wondered what would happen to him if he was somehow killed in this place by one of these Others. Would he die for real? This prospect might not have worried him otherwise – he would have been able to deal with it – but in the absence of his chakra, he could not be taking any chances.

"How do I get to the tree?" he finally asked the girl. There was no reason to dance around the subject. If she knew, surely she would answer him, subconsciously following an instinct to survive.

Kimi faltered, and Itachi had to grab her arm to steady her. She stepped away from him, eyeing him carefully. "Why do you want to know?" she asked cautiously.

"I'm looking for – well – you. I need the you from the present, though. You'll die if I don't get you out of here in three days." There was no reason, also, to hide the truth from her. When she said nothing, he prompted. "You do know who I am, right?"

The girl scoffed. "Of course I do. You're Itachi. I know you."

"Then you'll help me, right?"

Kimi kept her gaze steady, studying him closely. As she opened her mouth to reply, she froze and shifted her eyes to one side, staring in the direction they had just come. Tensing, Itachi mimicked the motion. The bushes and ferns they had just pushed their way through appeared to be rapidly withering, as if the life was being drained from the plants as the pair watched.

"Wha--?" Itachi started to ask, but Kimi interrupted him.

"Run," she breathed. Before Itachi could react, she snatched his hand and tugged him through the trees, crying, "Run!"

They plunged through the steadily-darkening forest, Itachi following Kimi's lead. Behind them, an unearthly shriek rose into the dusk air, sending a chill down Itachi's spine. "We're not going to make it," Kimi whimpered between breaths. "She's gaining on us."

Itachi did not dare look back to see who this "she" was or what she looked like. Instead, he lengthened his stride and snatched Kimi up, swinging her small form easily onto his back. "Direct me," he commanded, continuing to run.

Kimi clung to him with one arm, using the other to point through the trees. "There," she said. "The trees twist into an arch. Run through them."

The raven-haired young man spotted the place she was indicating and altered his course to head toward it. Trees cracked around him, wood splintering as the life was sucked out of them. The Other was close. Too close.

As Itachi neared the archway, he nearly blanched. "There's nothing on the other side but the valley wall!"

Kimi shook her head. "Trust me. You won't run into it. Just keep going."

Another shriek sounded behind them, this one all to close and ear-splitting. "She's here!" Kimi cried, barely audible beneath the inhuman cry.

With a final burst of speed – all Itachi could manage without chakra to back it – the Uchiha lunged forward through the archway. Instantly, the forest dissolved into white and the scream cut off abruptly. The light then shattered and Itachi skidded to a halt on a dirt road, panting heavily.

Kimi slid wordlessly from his back, casting her dark gaze about the village that now stood around them. Her expression darkened. "Not my first choice," she muttered, "but it'll have to do for now. We'll have to stay the night here."

Catching his breath, Itachi straightened. "I can't stay here. I need to find the Present Kimi." He could not bring himself to call her _his_ Kimi out loud.

The child gave a harsh laugh. "If you want to go back and face that Other, then be my guest. You'll be dead before you can say, 'Hello. My name's Itachi Uchiha.' They don't stop for anything, so they won't stop for you no matter who you might be." She glanced at him. "You'll be safer here. When the sun rises, she'll have to return to her territory."

With that, Kimi moved away from Itachi, walking down the barren street. Itachi glanced around him. From the look of things, they were no longer in the valley. The trees were different here, as well as the single line of mountains that stood on one side of the village. In fact, the village appeared to be built on the side of one of the mountains, level spaces cut into the slope for houses and the like. Reluctantly, he trailed behind the child Kimi. "So, where are we now?"

The girl's voice was dark, anger boiling just beneath the surface as she answered, "The Village Hidden in the Mountains."


End file.
